The Children of Olympus
by Backbiter009
Summary: Percy and Thalia were on the run together before finding a home in the least likely of places. Once there, they were trained to become the children of the prophecy. They will need one another to succeed in saving Olympus. Will they somehow overcome all of the hardships they will have to face and become great heroes? Or will they meet their untimely deaths, and fail everyone?
1. Prologue

**A.N. So here is the reposted story with a new title. It's been awhile so I might be a bit rusty writing, but I should be able to get back in the swing of things. If there is one thing I'm worried about though it is going to be the fighting scenes later on, so if anyone out there is willing to help me review before I post, that'd be great, otherwise whatever, I'll just wing it.**

Two kids were running through a park in New York. Most people smiled at them knowing that they were just having a good time, but there was one person, unbeknownst to all the rest, who was watching the two children play with a smile on his face.

He was an older man in a pinstripe suit, watching through an Iris message from his throne on Mount Olympus, that would be Zeus. He was sitting calmly with a smile on his face, just watching the two children play, until it hit him and he got a scowl on his face.

Zeus' eyes were fuming. There was literally lightning dancing across them. He grabbed his master bolt, and you could immediately hear a huge lightning bolt ring out across the sky.

A few minutes later there was a flash and a being appeared in the throne to his left. This man was younger and much more tan than the first. He wore a Hawaiian-style shirt, and khakis. Clutched in his hand was a trident. This was Poseidon.

When Poseidon got to the throne room he was shocked to just see it was him and Zeus. After a moment of silence, he decided to speak up, "Why have you called me here brother?"

Zeus head snapped up and lightning danced across his eyes. He glared at Poseidon, "You know exactly why Poseidon, I saw your son. Looks like you broke the oath."

Poseidon looked thoughtful for a moment as he noticed the iris message in the corner. Much like Zeus had, a scowl appeared on his face. "Well it looks like I'm not the only one, it appears you broke the oath as well. Don't you even think about touching a hair on my sons head Zeus, or you'll be In for the fight of your life"

Zeus looked angered by this at first but then sighed. "He is safe from me, for now. However, I can't say the same for Hades. When he finds out we both broke the oath he will be furious with us."

Poseidon looked relieved and nodded, "you are correct about that, but what can we do? If we just leave them then Hades could find them, and their lives could be in great danger, and they are too young to go to camp"

Zeus was deep in thought before turning to Poseidon, "I have an idea brother, but I am afraid it also comes with risks." He nodded in a go on gesture. "What if we raised them up on Olympus until they are twelve and can safely go to camp?"

Poseidon looked shocked by this. After a moment he spoke up, "well that could work, it would only be for a few years, the only difficult part will be convincing the council of this" All of the sudden the hearth in the middle of the throne room brightened.

Out stepped Lady Hestia, in her eight-year-old form, with a small smile on her face. "I will help you both convince the council that this is a good idea. This could unite us, and make us a family again. I also fear that they both have a dangerous road ahead of them, and they will need to stick together"

They both nodded, Poseidon walked up to his sister with a smile on his face, "thank you sister, they are going to need all the help they can get."

Hestia nodded before smiling once again, "yes, indeed they will, that is also why I will be bestowing my blessing upon the both of them, they will be the first to ever receive it"

Zeus and Poseidon both looked shocked before smiling graciously at their sister.

"Thank you, Hestia, that will greatly help them both. Well, let's just get this over with," Zeus said, before another lightning bolt could be heard across the sky, this one much louder than the first, before 10 beings appeared in the room.

 **A.N. There is chapter 1. It is short and just an intro so, yeah. It feels good to be back. Let me know what you all think, if you think it's a good idea that I start it over. Next chapter will be the council meeting. After that I will be alternating between Percy and Thalias point of view until they reach the age to go to camp. Like I was planning before, the master bolt quest and the golden fleece quest will be bypassed and start on book three. Review, tell me how good or bad it is, and what I need to improve on. Or any ideas that come to mind.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Again, some of this chapter will be a rewrite as well, I just wanted to get both of these chapters out there so I can begin writing from scratch again. So, here's chapter 2.**

* * *

As the gods and goddesses began to flash in, Zeus began to get worried. He looked around at each of their faces, and what he saw didn't exactly quell his nerves.

His wife, Hera, along with their sister Demeter just looked annoyed at being summoned. Artemis also looked annoyed at being taken away from her hunt. He looked towards his favorite daughter Athena to see a curious expression on her face.

Aphrodite was just looking at herself in a mirror, Apollo had his earbuds in and was listening to music, Hermes was talking on his cell phone, Dionysus was reading a wine magazine, Hephaestus was tinkering with some spare parts, and Ares just looked excited to see how much his family would bicker during this meeting.

He then looked towards the hearth and finally his brother Poseidon to see matching looks on their faces, as if wishing him good luck. He sighed not looking forward to the conversation in front of him.

Zeus cleared his throat, and when he didn't get everyone's attention, he slammed his master bolt into the floor, effectively garnering everyone's attention. He looked at Poseidon once more, and upon seeing a slight nod, decided to begin.

"So, I am sure you are all wondering why I called you here today, it appears that both Poseidon and myself have broken the oath and have demigod children." He began before the room erupted into chaos.

Hera was furious, while Artemis was just muttering how gods couldn't keep it in their pants. Ares looked excited at the prospect of a fight breaking out, while most of the others didn't look shocked. Zeus had had enough of this, and once again slammed his bolt into the floor, effectively silencing everyone.

"ENOUGH. We will discuss this civilly god dammit" He said fuming.

"Alright, thank you, now we have brought this to your attention because our children are around the same age, and myself, Poseidon, and Hestia have come up with a solution to all of this" Zeus said.

All of a sudden, the hearth flared up and out stepped Hestia. "Yes, we believe that either Zeus' daughter Thalia, or Poseidon's son Perseus is the child of the prophecy, and while we could kill them, we have come up with a better solution." She then quieted down and gave a nod to Zeus.

He gave her a small smile and continued, "exactly, we could send them to camp, but they are too young. They both appear to be around eight years old, and inseparable with each other. How that came to be? I really don't know, but it is clear they can't just wonder around on their own either" he finished looking at each and every one of them.

"We think that we should bring them here to be trained. Athena can teach them battle strategy and battlefield smarts, Artemis and Apollo can teach them archery, Ares can teach them how to fight, and Me and Poseidon can teach them how to use their godly powers." He said, looking around, trying to garner everyone's reactions.

"and when they become of age, we will send them to Camp Half-Blood. We can ensure our safety of the future, by training them, and making sure they are ready for what is to come later, Hestia is already going to bless them, and become their patron as well. They will become an unstoppable duo, under our tutelage." He finally finished out of breath.

Hera immediately stood up in a rage, "You will not bring your spawn to live here on Olympus" she raged furiously, before adding, "just because you couldn't keep it in your pants." She then felt a hand on her shoulder and saw none other than her sister, Hestia.

"I know he has wronged you again sister, but this is not the child's fault, besides, I believe this could be best for us. It will bring us closer as a family. These two children will unite us once again. The children of Olympus, will bring us together. She finished with a smile.

Hera sat down, albeit grudgingly, before nodding her head.

Zeus cleared his throat, "alright we shall vote on this matter, I would just like to add that I am sure none of you would like to incur mine or Poseidon's wrath, so vote wisely"

He continued, "all in favor of mine and Poseidon's children coming to live on Olympus and be trained by us, until they reach the age of twelve?" Ten hands rose in the air, as only Hera and Dionysus kept their hands down.

"so, it is settled, we will train them here, until they are old enough to go to Camp Half-Blood." Zeus thundered. "Hestia, will you please go and gather the demigods, and bring them here at once? Make sure they have everything they want to bring with them, as once they are here, there will be no going back" Hestia nodded before flashing out.

 **Line Break**

Hestia reappeared in Central Park and began looking around. They seemed to have just disappeared. She was about to flash out to warn Zeus of this, when out of the corner of her eye she saw a young girl running and laughing. Just a few steps behind her was a young boy, chasing her with a stick.

She smiled at them both. The young boy had dark wavy hair, and beautiful sea green eyes, although he had a scar stretching from above his right eye, almost to the corner of his lip. She looked to the young girl to see she also had dark black hair, but instead had electric blue eyes. She noticed she had a matching scar but over her left eye.

She smiled to herself sadly before approaching them both. The children, upon seeing this mysterious child-like being approaching, both got a bit nervous, and Perseus pushed Thalia behind him. She searched their memories to see how they ended up all alone, and was shocked to see that they shared the same mother. She had no idea how Zeus and Poseidon had both seduced this woman, seemingly one right after the other. This is unheard of. She pushed that to the back of her mind though, and focused at the task at hand.

Hestia smiled warmly, "relax child, I mean you no harm. I just wanted to talk to the both of you." They relaxed slightly, but didn't fully let their guard down.

She continued, "you are both very special. Your fathers sent me to come down here and rescue you both, and bring you somewhere safely." She began before being cut off by Perseus. "That can't be true, both our fathers are dead." He said with a scowl, while Thalia nodded her head in agreement.

Hestia gave them another warm smile, "They are not dead children, trust me, they just couldn't be around, but they can now. I am your Aunt Hestia, and I would like to bring you both to them."

Perseus looked unsure at first before looking at Thalia. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "why not, it certainly beats living on the street."

Perseus turned back to her, "alright auntie Hestia, we'll go with you." This brought a smile to her face. She gestured them over to a bench before sitting down. Where they quickly followed suit.

"I would rather explain things to you here so you're prepared for what you will face when we go to meet your fathers." She explained in a motherly tone.

"Alright, it would be best if you let me explain everything first before asking any questions, is that alright?" she began looking at them questioningly.

When both nodded their heads, she smiled to herself, just thinking how perfect her two champions would be.

"Okay, so do you know about the Greek Gods, and Goddesses?" she began. When both nodded, she continued, "they existed many years ago, and they would have children with mortals. These children were half god, and half mortal, known as demigods." Again, both nodded already knowing this.

"Well, the Gods and Goddesses are still around, and so are demigods. They move with western civilization, so now Mount Olympus is located on the top of what you guys call the Empire State Building." When she said this both their eyes got wide.

"I am telling you all of this because the both of you are demigods. Perseus, you are a son of Poseidon, and Thalia, you are a daughter of Zeus. You are both children of the big three, but that puts you in grave danger." This is where Thalia rose her hand.

Hestia smiled warmly at her, "Yes darling?" she asked. Thalia looked thoughtful for a second before asking, "so does that mean you're the goddess Hestia, from ancient Greece?" This once again made her smile.

"So young, but you're already so wise." This made Thalia blush. "Yes, I am the goddess Hestia, I choose to be in my eight-year-old form to make you guys more comfortable." She explained.

"Back to it though, many years ago, the big three all took a pact to never sire another demigod child. Zeus and Poseidon both broke that oath, and if Hades were to find out, then he would send monster after monster after you, until you both were killed." Both their eyes widened at this, thinking about the monster attacks, and what had happened to their mother.

She smiled at them once more, "don't worry, I won't ever let that happen again, and don't judge your uncle too harshly. He has lived a long life of sorrow, isolated from his family. Now then, do either of you have any questions?" she asked.

Both their hands shot up. She nodded to Perseus to go on, "So if I'm the son of Poseidon, will I have a bunch of cool water powers?" he asked. She smiled and nodded at him and said, "yes, but they will take many years to master and control them. That is why we are going to see your parents. They are going to train you both."

She then nodded to Thalia, "so if our fathers are the ones who broke the oath, why would he come after us?" she asked sadly, Perseus nodding his head in agreement.

She sighed, "you have to understand, Zeus has killed many of Hades children and lovers for no reason other than they were his." She began sadly. "He is not a bad man, there have just been too many injustices against him, for him to let something like this go."

They both nodded solemnly. She noticed this and tried to cheer them up. "It's alright children, I will never let anything happen to you." This brought a smile to both their faces.

"Alright any more questions?" she asked.

They both shook their heads. She looked to be in an internal debate, but decided now was as good a time as any to ask them.

"Would you both like to become my champions?" she asked smiling. "With this, I would become your patron god, and I would give you both my blessing." She explained. They both nodded happily, excited at the fact that they were going to be blessed by their aunt Hestia.

She walked over to Thalia and touched her shoulder before her whole body glowed orange before disappearing. She did the same to Perseus, before retaking a seat on the bench with them.

"With my blessing, you will both be able to conjure up food whenever you please, as long as it is a home cooked meal. The hearth also has the ability to harm as well as heal, and I thought it would be perfect if you each got one aspect of this, so as to balance you out perfectly." She explained before their eyes widened.

"Perseus, you now have the ability to control fire, and Thalia, you now have the ability of healing someone, as long as the injury isn't too fatal" She explained.

Upon seeing Thalia's look of jealousy, she put a hand on her shoulder and began, "Thalia, don't be disappointed, trust me, the ability to heal, will be just as good, if not better than the ability to harm." Making Thalia smile, before adding as an afterthought, "plus you will have the ability to call down lightning, just like your father."

She saw Thalia had a wicked smile on her face. She chuckled to herself, just thinking how perfect her champions are. She knew they would bicker and fight, but when it counted they would have each other's backs without a second thought.

"Alright children, come here. I will transport us to Olympus, I believe the Olympian Council is waiting on us, and don't worry, I will teach you both how to master your powers in the coming years." She said before putting a hand on each of their shoulders before flashing them to the throne room on Mount Olympus.

 **Percy's POV**

We reappeared in a room with twelve thrones in a U shape around a central hearth. Only The thrones were huge and the people sitting in them were fifteen or sixteen feet tall. I couldn't help the smile that came to my face when I thought of the recent events. I'm a demigod, and I'm going to be able to use water powers as well as fire, I thought happily.

I heard someone clear their throat in front of me as my eyes widened. In front of me was now a normal sized man, about six feet tall, that looked strikingly like myself, only more tan and with a beard.

I realized this must be my father. I immediately went into a bow, remembering the stories I had read as a child but he waved me off before pulling me into a godly sized hug, making me wince.

"Uh…dad, I can't really breathe." I said. He looked at me sheepishly before apologizing.

I looked over and noticed Thalia was in the same position I was, and looking a bit uncomfortable as well. It's going to take some getting used to, knowing we had godly parents that we haven't met until today.

I noticed Zeus stepped back before returning to his godly height, as my father did the same. I looked at Thalia, and I could tell we both agreed that it was insanely awkward just standing in the middle of this throne room right now.

I didn't really know where to go, so I walked over to the hearth, before Thalia followed suit. This brought a huge smile to our patron as she conjured us chairs to sit in for this meeting.

Zeus cleared his throat, "yes, well, we all can become reacquainted after this meeting." He announced upon seeing Hera's glare.

"Anyway, back to business. I assume Hestia filled you in on everything?" he thundered.

I gulped, "Yes, Lord Zeus, she told us we would be staying here for a while, and you all would be training us, along with herself." I finished.

He smiled, "you have nothing to fear child, and call me Uncle Zeus." He began. "Yes though, we have decided that it is everyone's best interest if you stay here for the next four years. Once you reach the age of twelve, we will send you to Camp Half-Blood. Where the rest of the demigod children are being trained."

We both nodded, excited at the prospect of meeting other demigods.

"That is all." Zeus thundered before most gods and goddesses flashed out. The only ones remaining were Zeus, Hestia and my father.

I turned towards Thalia and we both had the same thought, "this is going to be so cool."

 **(A Couple Months Later)**

 **Still Percy's POV**

It took a little while, but we eventually got the hang of things. In the mornings, we would have archery training with Artemis. We both found her to be a much better teacher than Apollo, who goofed off too much.

She was cold to me at first, but she has started to warm up to me since then.

After that we go to class with Athena. She can be incredibly boring at times, but I knew what she was teaching us was just as important as what our fathers were teaching us.

After that we got an hour break for lunch before we would learn how to be stealthy and quick in battle with Hermes.

After that we would have combat training with Ares. It varied from being like a military boot camp, to sparing with Ares. Thalia with a spear, and me with a sword.

We would have a break until dinner, then right after dinner we would work with Hestia on our powers, before going our separate ways to train with our fathers. Afterwards we would retire to the palace that they built for us to share.

Most days went like that. It was exhausting. Zeus and Poseidon eventually found out that me and Thalia had the same mother, and they were both shocked at first, then became angered. They didn't know how that could have happened, but they almost raged war on each other until Hestia stepped in. Everything's fine now, they talked it out, or whatever gods do to settle feuds.

One day, Zeus summoned us both to the council room. It was a shock really, this didn't usually happen.

Once we got there he explained to us how the winter solstice was coming up, and how they were finally going to reveal to Hades that me and Thalia existed.

This shocked me at first, because Hades would just want to kill us, but I shook that thought off considering most of the council would never let that happen.

It came the day for the council meeting, and after finishing up with my father, I went to our house we shared and washed up, before getting dressed appropriately and meeting Thalia downstairs to wait to be summoned.

Me and Thalia have grown even closer. We're nearly inseparable and are almost impossible to beat in battle as a duo.

I was broken out of my thoughts by Hestia appearing in front of us. This brought a smile to my face. She quickly embraced both of us before flashing us to the throne room.

We looked around at everyone, and most were smiling at us, as we would return the smile. When I looked towards the end of the thrones, I saw a makeshift throne, with a man that looked everything the part of God of the Underworld.

We both went to sit with Hestia, bringing a smile to her face.

"Zeus, who are these demigods that Hestia just flashed in here?" Hades asked questioningly. Hestia pushed us behind her just in case.

Zeus took a deep breath and began, "just hear us out first, that is Thalia Grace, my daughter, and the boy is Perseus Jackson, Poseidon's son." Hades looked enraged but bit his tongue for the moment.

Zeus continued, "we found them in the park together one day, all alone, their mother having been killed by a monster. We decided we couldn't just leave them, as you would find them and certainly kill them, and we couldn't send them to Camp Half-Blood, as they were too young and wouldn't get the right training. So we brought them to Olympus, where we would all train them, so as to ensure, whichever one of them the great prophecy is referring to, they will make the right decision."

There it is again, that great prophecy. We have heard about it many times, although we still don't know what it is. Athena once told us, "knowledge isn't always power" but that just made me want to hear it more.

Hades looked like he was about to say something, when Zeus cut him off, "heed my warning Hades, they are not to be touched. They each are under the protection of Poseidon and I, as well as Hestia, as she is both of their patrons." He said seriously.

Hades looked shocked. He just looked towards Hestia who had a smile on her face and nodded towards him. He looked happy for her, which looked kind of odd on someone like himself.

He nodded, "very well, it will be as you wish, but I expect the same treatment towards a child of mine, should it ever arise, they don't have to be raised on Olympus, but I expect them to be spared." He said thoughtfully, obviously deep in thought.

I saw Hestia nod with a smile, it seems she too knew something we didn't. "Of course, brother, He would be welcomed, isn't that right Zeus?" She asked with a pointed glare towards him.

I knew what he was going through, I have been on the wrong side of one of Hestia's glares before and it is not somewhere I ever want to be again.

He gulped and nodded, "Fine it will be as you wish brother, let this be the end of our feud, and the beginning of something anew." He then did something that shocked us all.

"I believe it is time that our eldest brother and sister rejoin the council, don't you all?" everyone just looked at him shocked. It was unanimous. Hades and Hestia would become the thirteenth and fourteenth Olympians.

Hestia got up and hugged Zeus before a throne rose up on the one end where she took her seat. Me and Thalia quickly followed suit, over to her new throne.

Hades looked shocked at first, then reluctant, but eventually shook his brothers hand, and took a seat in the completely obsidian throne at the other end of the thrones.

Everyone was in a shocked silence. This is the last thing anyone expected to happen.

Zeus cleared his throat, "Yes, I believe a united front is what is needed, for what we will come to face. I also apologize to you both, this has been a long time coming." He said.

They both nodded towards him smiling. Zeus dismissed the meeting as most of the gods flashed out. Me and Thalia were told to go get some sleep before our training the next day. Zeus said he had been going too easy on us so far, and they were going to take it up a notch on us.

I dreaded to think what that would be like.

As we were leaving, the last thing I saw was Hestia give me a wink before flashing out, and all of the big three approaching each other.

 **A.N. So a little bit of a twist there. Let me know what you think about this, and about the chapter as a whole. Next chapter there will be a bigger time skip, and it might even start into the third book. I said this was originally going to be a PercyxThalia, but I decided to change that, what I have in mind for the story is them having more of a brother sister bond, which would just make it weird. I haven't decided who either would end up with, if anyone so I set up a poll for that. So go vote on that. Keep in mind the more reviews I get, the more inclined I am to update sooner.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A.N. I now have a poll up for who percy should be with later in the story, so go vote on that. I read somewhere the other day that they are trying to make percy Jackson into a tv show and start from the beginning. I thought that would be pretty cool. I'm not sure if that's actually going to happen or not, just wondering if any of you have heard of that. Anyway, here's chapter 3.**

(A little less than 3 years later)

Perseus and Thalia had grown exponentially in the time they were training up on Olympus with the Olympians. They had both nearly mastered their weapon of choice, as well as mastered the bow and arrows.

Perseus preferred a sword in hand to hand combat, while Thalia preferred a spear. They were both in excellent shape as well, Perseus was pretty muscled, but not overly so where it slowed him down, and Thalia was also pretty muscular in her own right, not that it showed very much, her quickness outweighed her strength.

Their training had steadily increased with each year that passed, as they learned that the demigod son of Hermes, Luke Castellan, had betrayed the Olympians and was planning on resurrecting Kronos.

They were just sitting through another one of Athena's lectures about always being prepared, and everything, when Perseus realized that Thalia would be turning 12 soon, meaning that in another six months, he would be turning 12 and they would be able to go to camp.

He was brought out of his thoughts as Athena sighed, "Perseus, I know there is probably a lot on your mind, but please try to pay attention. You have no idea how much this will actually help you in a real fight, or worse, a war."

He sighed, "I know, I'm sorry Athena, I'm just thinking about finally going to camp." She turned to him, "well that's all for today, Zeus is requesting both of your presences in the throne room, and Perseus, the time for your return could very well be sooner than you might think" she said as she disappeared in a poof.

They walked to the throne room in silence, just wondering what Zeus could be cutting Athena's lesson short for.

As they entered, they noticed that it wasn't just Zeus in the throne room, but Poseidon, Hestia, and surprisingly Artemis were there as well.

They gave a slight bow before looking up at Zeus. He cleared his throat, "We gathered the both of you here today because you may be going into the mortal world very soon. There is a quest from camp half-blood that will be departing shortly to retrieve the demigod children of Hades."

They were both shocked at hearing that, they didn't know Hades had demigod children. He continued, "yes, we can go into details at a later time, but there is a satyr there at the moment keeping an eye on them, but he says there is a powerful monster that can sense them as well. So, If it gets too dangerous for them before the quest arrives, or the daughter of Athena and daughter of Ares, are struggling we are going to send you in for backup."

Both our eyes widened at that. We haven't been to the outside world in years, so this was a shock to us.

Zeus smiled, "we have trained you for this moment, we couldn't be prouder of the both of you, we just want you to be ready should the need arise, so pack your bags and stay on alert after we dismiss you."

"Now then we were going to wait until you both turned twelve to bestow our gifts upon you, but this seems like a better cause." He said proudly.

We both stood there shocked, mouth agape. "you made us weapons." I stuttered out. Zeus laughed, "you're father and I had Hephaestus forge special weapons for you, as well as Hestia."

Artemis came forward, "I made you something myself as well. I crafted you each a bow that is enchanted so that it will never run out of arrows." She handed us each a necklace and we looked at them confused. She smiled, "Put them on, Thalia pull on the lightning charm, and Perseus pull on the trident charm."

We did as instructed, and a bow appeared on each of our backs, a dark green bow for me, and a dark blue bow for Thalia. They were beautiful.

"Now pull back on the string, an arrow will appear, it is enchanted, and much like our training sessions, you can shoot flaming arrows if you just think about it being on fire, or for you Thalia, if you think about a lightning arrow it will appear."

We both tried it out and a wicked grin appeared on both of our faces. We ran and hugged Artemis and both thanked her profusely, but she just shrugged it off. "You guys are family, and I will always come to your aide, you just have to ask." She rolled her eyes, "yes, even you Perseus, I have come to see you as a friend and someone worthy of my respect, well for a male at least." She said the last bit with a smirk.

We hugged her one last time before she flashed out.

Hestia was the next to approach us. She hugged us both and whispered in our ears, "You are the best two champions anyone could ask for, and I'm so proud of you. Don't forget to always stick together, and you can overcome anything."

She then handed us both a bracelet with a smile. Mine was alternating green and orange, and Thalia's was alternating blue and orange. I was curious as to what it was when Thalia pulled on the flame charm, and a beautiful shield spiraled out. In the middle was a huge flame, and on the outer rim was lightning bolts winding the way around the flame.

I decided to pull the flame charm as well, and a beautiful shield spiraled out again. Mine was also a flame right in the middle, but had waves winding their way around the flame. It was beautiful.

"I had Hephaestus blend together all sorts of metals to make them, so they are indestructible. Just will it to be back in bracelet form and it will." She said with a smile. We both did just that and then engulfed her in another hug.

"Good luck my champions, I will always be watching you, and don't forget, the most important thing is for the both of you to always stick together." She said as she disappeared back to the hearth.

Zeus then walked up, "I didn't really think either of you needed more jewelry." He said with a smirk, as he pulled out a dark blue pen, as Poseidon did the same, but with a dark green pen.

I was confused, but after seeing how the last two gifts were concealed, I still had high hopes for this one.

"We had Hephaestus enchant these so even if you lose them, they will always return to you, their true masters. Hestia's shields, and Artemis bows, will also reappear the same way." My father said smirking at me.

I glared at him before taking the pen from his outstretched hand. I clicked it and it elongated into a two-foot-long sword. It was beautiful. It was a bronze blade that gave off a green hue. The hilt had green gems encrusted into it, and the words "Παλιρροϊκό κύμα" was on the hilt as well. I translated it in my head, tidal wave, I clicked the gem on the bottom and it transformed back into a pen. I saw that it had the words "tidal wave" on it in pen form as well, but this time in English.

I hugged my father and thanked him over and over. He then told me that the sword would grow with me, so I would be able to always use it, and it would always be perfectly balanced, which was pretty damn cool., before turning to Thalia to see what she got.

She clicked hers and it elongated into a spear. The tip crackled with electricity, and you could see it was barbed up near the point, so if she swung it like a baseball bat, it could be very deadly. I barely made out the word, "Αστραπή" I translated that to lightning strike. She clicked the button and it returned to pen form, and much like my own, had "lightning strike" but in English.

Zeus turned to us with a smile, "you both have worked hard, and deserve these. We only have but one thing left to teach you both, much like Hades' children can shadow travel, Thalia, you can disappear in a bolt of lightning, and Perseus, you can disappear into a sea mist. I'm sure Hestia taught you how to disappear in a flash of flames, but this will likely use up less of your energy."

So, I disappeared with my father to learn this, while Thalia disappeared with hers.

 **Line Break**

They both reappeared looking exhausted. They wanted to go to their arena part of their house that they had, but both took their fathers suggestion of going to sleep. Just in case they needed to go to the mortal world, they would be prepared.

They both crashed the second their head hit the pillow. When they awoke, they wanted to go and see whose new weapons were better and if one of them would finally best the other, since they always had to end it as a draw.

Well as long as they were doing no demigod powers it was always a draw, Perseus currently led twenty-six to twenty-three against Thalia with the use of powers.

They were broken from their reverie though when an iris message appeared and told them to come to the throne room immediately.

Perseus vapor traveled, while Thalia lightning traveled. When they arrived, Zeus had a small smile, but looked nervous, "the demigod quest has not yet arrived, and the monster is about to make his move, you need to teleport to Westover Hall, in Maine. On second thought, I will transport the two of you there as I don't want you to use up too much energy." He finished as he put a hand on both of their shoulders and disappeared.

 **Line Break**

 **(I know I've been switching between third person and Percy's POV, but this will now be straight Percy's POV)**

We reappeared inside of the gym in Westover hall, and immediately spotted the satyr as he tried and failed to fit in with the other kids.

I turned to Thalia with a grin and we high fived, excited at the prospect of a battle to come. I couldn't locate the monster yet, but was pretty sure I located the two children of Hades.

"Thalia, over there, on the bleachers, I think that's them" I said to her. She quickly turned and nodded. We were about to sneak off to them and get out of there, when all of a sudden, this old man, that looked like a teacher, or a dean maybe, beckoned them over.

This cannot be good, I thought, as we ran after them. When we got outside, I saw the man with Hades spawn by a cliff, an army of monsters now in between us and them.

We turned to each other with a smirk, and did rock paper scissors. Thalia chose rock, and I chose scissors. I silently cursed to myself as I pulled on the trident charm and my bow appeared. She pulled out her pen and clicked it, before charging into the monsters.

This is a game we always liked to play, whoever loses, covers the winner with aerial support, if there was a bigger army of monsters I would've jumped right in, but this is a strategy that Athena herself approved. Although she was questioning why we had to do rock paper scissors to decide.

I began to fire arrow after arrow into the monsters as I heard Thalia give a call and a huge bolt of lightning came down and incinerated a half dozen monsters.

I lit an arrow on fire and shot a cyclops in the side of the head as it tried to sneak up on Thalia, it then turned into dust. She turned and gave me a nod, which I returned with a smirk.

I created a huge fireball in my hand and threw it into the unsuspecting monsters. A dozen of them running around trying to put out the flames, but to no avail, they were reduced to nothing but dust.

There was only a dozen or so left so I screamed to Thalia, "I've got them go save them" I said gesturing to Hades children. I gasped as the monster revealed himself and it turned out to be the manticore. This just got a whole lot more difficult, I thought.

I clicked tidal wave and my sword appeared, I lit it on fire and jumped into the fray and did my best to dispose of them as quick as possible, but they were getting reinforcements now, and I could hear a helicopter closing in.

I slashed at a hellhound and rolled under the club of a cyclops, before slicing my sword across his throat, and ducking as the hellhound went barreling over my head. I threw a fireball and took out the hellhound, as I heard a hunting horn in the distance.

If this is who I thought it was, then I was relieved. I began to see silver arrows coming from the tree line and grinned. Artemis and her hunters were here. I heard a gunshot and a scream followed it. I knew that scream all too well.

"THALIA" I screamed. I couldn't see her, I just saw red as I slashed and hacked my way through the monsters. I decapitated a dracaena and saw nothing but open field as I sprinted to the manticore and jumped on its back and slashed at its tail. I connected, not a clean cut, but it still sounded like it stung. I was thrown from the manticore then.

I landed in a snow bank, and jumped up. I saw Thalia for the first time since I heard her scream and breathed a sigh of relief. She only got hit in the leg. I was ready to go back in and take him down, when I saw a huntress step up, an arrow drawn, and ask, "Permission to kill milady?" She had a silver circlet on her head and I knew this must be the lieutenant.

I growled to myself, I wanted to be the one to take down this beast. I heard the best growl fearfully, "direct interference is against the ancient laws moon goddess."

She just smirked, "the hunting of all wild beasts is within my domain, seeing as you are a wild beast, I am permitted to hunt you." She turned to the hunter with the bow aimed, "permission granted Zoe."

What happened next will haunt me forever. In a last-ditch effort, he dove for Thalia before a barrage of arrows rained down on him and he tumbled off the cliff.

"NOOOOOO" I screamed. I ran to the cliff, but saw nothing but fog, and I could barely make out the rocks below. It was a slim chance she survived that. I whirled around on the hunter, brandishing my sword, "What is wrong with you, did you not see that he had my sister, I should throw you off the cliff, just like you basically just did to her." I said enraged.

The hunter sneered at me, before there were a dozen arrows aimed at me. "Stand down" they didn't move a muscle, "I said stand down girls" Artemis hissed out, with a tear in her eye. They reluctantly lowered their weapons. She came up to me and pulled me into a hug. The hunters were all shocked, they had never seen their mistress like this.

"Zoe, set up camp, set up a tent for the children of Hades. I have much to discuss with Perseus." She said before pulling me into her own tent. I had totally forgotten about the two children of Hades with the ordeal that just happened.

We sat in silence for what might've only been a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity to me. I lost her. I wasn't strong enough to save her. I shouldn't have been covering her with my bow, I should've been right there next to her battling against the manticore. Hestia warned me about this, how could I have been so stupid, I thought to myself. I betrayed the two most important people to me.

She finally broke the silence, "I am so sorry, Perseus." She began before I cut her off, "no, it was my fault, I stood back and covered her with my bow, when I should've been right next to her, I'm a coward." I spat the word coward with disgust.

She had a sympathetic look before turning angry, "Perseus, with all due respect, shut the Hades up, it was a good strategy, no one could have predicted that would happen. You're not a coward. Do you think you sitting here sulking is going to help Thalia? No, it's not, I'm going to go to Olympus to discuss this with the council, I'll bring Apollo back with me to take you all to camp half-blood. When you get there explain to Chiron what happened, and visit the oracle asking for a quest to rescue Thalia. I will talk to a few of my hunters and see if they will accompany you on your quest."

I nodded thankfully before walking out.

 **Line Break**

I heard a commotion and came out of my tent to see the quest from camp had finally arrived. Wow just on time I thought bitterly.

Then the snow started to melt all around us, and I saw what looked like a Maserati appear out of the sky, when none other than Apollo walked out grinning. When he met eyes with me his smile faltered a bit. I gave him a nod signaling I was fine, which was the furthest thing from the truth.

Artemis was right though, sulking did me no good. He changed his chariot into a bus and we all piled in. Apollo turned to me with a grin, "wanna drive little cousin?" he asked.

I politely declined, not wishing to anger a bus full of man haters. He looked disappointed before offering the daughter of Athena, whose name was Annabeth I found out, the opportunity to drive, and she accepted.

How we made it to camp half-blood in one piece? I have no idea, she was a terrible driver.

We all piled out, with the hunters all going to Artemis cabin, not wishing to be around so many male campers at once, while the rest of the camp gathered around us. I just stood there awkwardly, as everyone stared at me, wondering who the hell I was. Apollo pulled Chiron away for a second, and then came back and took back off without a word, with his chariot into the sky.

Chiron walked up to me, "Apollo says you have lived on Olympus for the past couple of years with Thalia, was it?" I nodded and he continued, "Anyway come with me to the big house, you can visit the oracle, and then tell me your story. Afterwards you can settle into your cabin and set out early tomorrow morning." I nodded gratefully following him into the big house.

He pointed me in the direction of the stairs, and then up into the attic. It was so dusty and dark up there, and then I laid my eyes upon the oracle. I thought it was a joke at first. It just sat there on a stool unmoving. It was a mummified corpse. I approached it and remembered Artemis' words.

"How can I save Thalia?" I said as bravely as I could. At first nothing happened and I was about to pull out my sword and stab the stupid thing when all of a sudden, a green mist poured out of its mouth and in the voice of Thalia, said

Five shall go west to the goddess in chains

One shall be lost in the land without rain

The remaining child of Olympus shows the trail

Campers and Hunters combined prevail

The titans curse must one withstand

And one shall perish by a parent's hand

Unless siblings separated only by their fathers foil their plan

 **A.N. Well there's chapter 3. I tried to make the prophecy sound as realistic as possible while giving it my own touch. I know I have been switching between third person POV and Percy's POV a lot so I will be trying to just stick with Percy's for a while, at least until after the titan's curse portion. I will keep some things the same, while also adding in different things here and there. Go vote on my poll, and let me know what you think of the chapter. I'll work on chapter 4 later tonight, but I wont post it until I have at least 10 reviews, come on guys, I've posted 3 chapters in one day.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A.N. Well I'm working on the fourth chapter in the past 24 hours. I hope you all start reviewing so I can post it as soon as possible. I'm going to see if I can stretch the titans curse into 2 chapters but if not, oh well.**

* * *

" _How can I save Thalia?" I said as bravely as I could. At first nothing happened and I was about to pull out my sword and stab the stupid thing when all of a sudden, a green mist poured out of its mouth and in the voice of Thalia, said_

 _Five shall go west to the goddess in chains_

 _One shall be lost in the land without rain_

 _The remaining child of Olympus shows the trail_

 _Campers and Hunters combined prevail_

 _The titans curse must one withstand_

 _And one shall perish by a parent's hand_

 _Unless siblings separated only by their fathers foil their plan_

Well Shiiittt, was the only thought I had in my mind at the moment. I must have just been standing up there staring at nothingness for hours, but it happened to only be a couple of minutes. It's funny how time can trick you so easily.

I slowly made my way down from the attic, then down the stairs, to see Chiron waiting patiently for me.

I took a deep breath before reciting the prophecy to him. He looked nervous for a split second before quickly covering it up. "yes, well it looks like you are going to have to bring a few hunters on this journey with you." He said with a frown.

I nodded as I headed out to figure out who I wanted to bring with me. I figured that I would bring the daughter of Athena and daughter of Ares, since they were on the quest they must be capable warriors.

I arrived at the Athena cabin and knocked, waiting impatiently for a few moments, before a girl with blonde hair, and striking grey eyes opened the door. I gave her a once over, noticing how beautiful she was. I shook my head of those thoughts and cleared my throat.

"There is a quest to save Thalia, and Artemis, and I want you to be on it" I said quickly. She looked like she wanted to ask more about it, but decided against it once she saw my look. She nodded, so I left with a quick thanks to her and told her to meet tomorrow morning at the big house.

I left and decided to find the Ares cabin. Upon arriving I knocked and the door was quickly opened by a burly looking girl with brown hair. Without wasting any time, I asked, "There is a quest to rescue Thalia, and the goddess Artemis. I want you to be on it. Are you in?"

She nodded with a smile. I left with a quick goodbye after telling her to meet at the big house early tomorrow morning.

I started making my way over to the Artemis cabin, and wasn't looking forward to the conversation ahead of me, knowing that the hunters would be the hardest to convince.

I knocked on the door quickly, and the door popped open, a dozen man hating preteen girl's eyes turning to me.

I cleared my throat, "yeah, there is a prophecy to rescue Thalia and Lady Artemis, it calls for hunters and campers combined to go on the quest, we have three campers already and need two hunters."

The cabin erupted in shouts, most about how they were not going to travel with no good boys, and about how the hunters could do this themselves. I noticed the Lieutenant, Zoe, I believe is her name, was quiet, and looked deep in thought.

All of a sudden I heard her speak up, "ENOUGH, if that is what the prophecy calls for, then we must oblige if we want to find lady Artemis." Some of the girls started arguing again, but she interrupted them with a glare, "enough Phoebe, I don't like it either, but it must be done."

She then turned to me, "You are a friend of Lady Artemis, so we will travel with you if we must. I will accompany you as well as Bianca if she is willing." I looked up shocked, noticing for the first time that the daughter of Hades that we rescued had become a hunter.

She looked shocked, but nodded her head. Zoe turned back to me, "alright it is decided, me and Bianca will meet you at the big house early tomorrow morning." I nodded with a small smile and left after giving a quick thanks.

I headed over to my cabin to get a well needed rest before the start of the quest, which I knew would be anything but easy.

 **Line Break**

I woke up early that morning and decided to pack my bag and head for the big house, hoping my quest mates would all be ready so we could get a move on.

I first made sure I had all my weapons before grabbing a backpack and filling it with some cash, and some food and water. I then put plenty of nectar and ambrosia to last for the journey.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a fountain in the corner of the cabin. I found dozens of golden drachma in there figuring this was from my father for if I wanted to Iris Message someone. I grabbed a handful of them before putting them in my backpack. You never know when you might need them in the mortal world. I then put some spare clothes in the bag as I am sure I will need them at some point.

I went over anything else I might need, and couldn't think of anything off the top of my head, so I took one last look at my cabin, knowing I wouldn't see it for a while, and made my way to the big house.

I saw Chiron waiting outside with that daughter of Athena, Annabeth. I gave them each a nod before taking a seat and grabbing some food out of my pack.

"Why are you eating your quest food now?" I heard Annabeth say. I rolled my eyes and clapped my hands and she yelped when a slice of pizza appeared in front of her.

"Perks of being Hestia's champion." I retorted. She looked shocked, and like she wanted to ask more, but that's when Zoe and Bianca decided to make their appearances.

Clarisse came shortly after and we left after a short goodbye to Chiron.

"So, what is our transportation going to be?" Annabeth asked. Nobody really had an answer to that, so I took out a pair of keys and tossed them to Zoe.

"Chiron gave us 'permission' to take one of the camp vans." I explained putting emphasis on permission. In reality, I took them from the big house the night before as I knew no one would have a better idea.

Annabeth looked like she was about to question it, but I cut her off quickly with a glare, "If anybody says one more thing before we get on the road to saving Thalia and Lady Artemis, there is going to be Hades to pay." No one said anything as we headed to the car and started our journey.

I quickly apologized to Bianca after using her father's name like that, but she just waved me off.

I was in the front seat, while Zoe drove, and the other three girls were in the back. I realized the trip ahead would be anything but easy, with the daughter of Athena, and huntresses of Artemis.

As if on cue I heard Annabeth say, "Okay, we're on the road now, I want to hear your story, you're the most mysterious demigod I have ever met."

I sighed, and began to tell them the story, from being found in central park, to training with the gods, up until arriving at Westover Hall.

When I finished, I motioned for them to ask questions. Annabeth was first. "So, you have met all our parents then?" she asked, her voice laced with jealousy. I nodded.

"Yeah, me and Thalia briefly trained with Apollo and Artemis on archery, before exclusively being trained by Lady Artemis, since we didn't like that Apollo didn't take it as seriously." I said.

I then turned to Zoe, "Sorry about what I said after Thalia fell, I was just angry and took it out on you. I have heard a lot about you, and look forward to seeing you in battle. Artemis speaks very highly of you." I finished.

She looked shocked that I apologized before saying, "It is alright bo… Perseus. I have heard a lot about you as well. Lady Artemis seems to like you, so I don't see us having a problem."

I nodded in thanks to her before continuing, "We were trained by Athena, on battle smarts, and battle strategy. It wasn't the most interesting, but was probably the most important training we received outside of getting trained on our godly powers from our fathers." Annabeth looked shocked at this.

"You were trained by my mother? What's she like?" She asked with this faraway look in her eye.

I looked at her sympathetically, "Well she is the smartest person I have ever met, and gets annoyed at my foolishness rather often, but she is one of the goddesses I have the most respect for on the council. Just don't get on her bad side" I said remembering the few times that I did.

"We also trained with Ares on war and battle. We trained with him until we could each best him in one on one combat" They all looked shocked.

"We were able to use our powers though, and he was restricted to just his skill with a blade, which I will say he is still very skilled. He doesn't show emotion very much, but he does care about his kids greatly, and when he spoke of you, Clarisse, you could practically see the pride rolling off of him in waves. You must be a great warrior." I said glancing back at her.

She looked surprised, but gave me a nod of appreciation. Seeing as I answered all their questions for the moment, I decided to get some sleep.

 **Line Break**

I awoke in a sweat. I had a dream about Thalia, being trapped under this cloud, and Artemis was captured and rescued her from under there. I had this dream the night before, but was hoping it was just a normal dream, not a demigod dream.

I looked back and noticed all three of the girls were asleep. That put a small smile on my face. I know their lives probably haven't been the easiest.

I turned to Zoe, "You know where we're headed don't you?" I asked.

She glanced at me letting out a sigh, "Yes, I suppose you would know, being trained up on Olympus. We are heading to Mount Othrys, the titan stronghold from the last titan war. It moves along with the gods."

I nodded picking up where she left off, "Yeah, it is in California now. We have to enter through the Garden of the Hesperides, right?" I asked.

She looked shocked, but nodded. I decided to ease her nerves a little, "I know you are the daughter of Atlas, and I don't know how they will react to it, but I will have you're back if they react badly. You serve Artemis, and I know you would never betray her."

She looked surprised, "Thank you Perseus, yes I have feared what they would think if they found out. I suppose they will eventually, but it is nice to know that you have my back. Perhaps I have misjudged you."

I looked surprised at that, "I really appreciate that, I have a bad history with men too" I said gesturing to the scar over my eye. "Me and Thalia, our mother would get beaten by our step father, we would fight him off of her as best we could, but we were only eight, and he would then go after us. He eventually killed her, and we escaped. That is when the Gods' found us." I explained making her scowl.

I had no idea why I was telling her all of this, but I just felt like I could trust her.

"We went back and killed him a couple years into being on Olympus. The only time we were in the mortal world until yesterday. He now has his own section in the fields of punishment dedicated to him" I said with an evil smirk.

I saw Zoe with a smile on her face at that too. "Here let's stop in Washington D.C. to rest for a little while and get some food. I will drive afterwards if you would like to get some rest."

She nodded gratefully and took the exit to Washington D.C. and we drove for a while before parking the car. We woke up the other three girls and started walking around. We were in public, so I decided to hand Zoe some money.

Before she could say anything, I said, "it's for food. We are in public so I can't really conjure anything up right now. I am going to go explore for a while, I am not too hungry." She nodded before taking off in the direction of the Air and Space Museum, the other three girls right behind her.

I walked in the opposite direction before growling angrily. I saw the manticore, well in his Dr. Thorne disguise from Westover Hall, and decided to follow him.

He entered the Museum of Natural History and then a back room. I waited a moment before disappearing in a flash of flames and reappearing behind a pillar in the back room. There wasn't enough water in the air for me to disappear into a mist, so I felt slightly drained of energy from using Hestia's power.

I peeked behind the pillar and saw a hulk of a man talking to a kid with blonde hair. This was the son of Hermes that betrayed us.

I wanted to attack him there and then, but decided to wait and see what was going to happen.

They kept talking about who would lead them, I was going to make myself known before hearing, "General, I have found them" This made me gulp, if this was the general, then that means my dream was indeed true, and Atlas was free from his burden of holding the sky.

I looked and saw him pull out some wicked looking dragon teeth. Atlas grabbed them and planted them, and watered them, before I saw ten skeleton hands claw their way out of the ground.

"Do you have it?" Atlas said. A man nodded and handed him a silver cloth. I cursed realizing what it was. He handed it to the skeletons and they all took turns smelling it and getting the scent down. Atlas laughed, "Now they will hunt down that insufferable huntress and her foolish friends until each of them is killed on this silly quest of theirs."

I was furious, that must mean Luke has traitors in camp. That will have to wait though, this isn't good. Those are spartoi, nearly impossible to kill. I just hope Bianca has some kind of stygian iron weapon because if not, I am the only one able to kill them and were in trouble.

Atlas stiffened, "Someone is here, a demigod, find him and bring him to me" he ordered. I cursed silently to myself before walking out from behind the pillar with my hands up, as if surrendering.

"Grab him and bring him to me" Atlas ordered to Luke. He began making his way towards me before I lit my hands on fire, and sending a huge fireball towards Luke and Atlas. I launched a huge fireball in front of the exit as well, hoping to trap them in there, before flashing out in a flash of flames.

I reappeared in the Air and Space museum, and immediately dropped to a knee. After catching my breath, I rushed off to find the others.

I found them exploring in a big room, there was model airplanes suspended in the air, as well as many display cases on the floor.

They noticed me and all gathered around, wondering why I was so out of breath. "Luke is here." I said. "That's not all though, the General is here as well, and he resurrected these spartoi, and they had a piece of Zoe's huntress uniform. They will hunt us until we're dead or they are, we need to leave now." I said looking at Zoe sympathetically about the General being here.

"Are you sure it was him?" She asked. I nodded and she paled. Before we could do anything else a little girls voice rang out, "Look mommy, a kitty" We all turned to look and paled at what we saw. It was the Nemean Lion.

This is not good, I thought. "Zoe, Bianca, and Annabeth find high ground to cover us. Clarisse you're with me taking it head on." I said as they all nodded. I clicked my pen, and my sword elongated, and I pulled on my bracelet and my shield appeared. Clarisse pulled out her spear and I saw the tip crackling with electricity. I smiled, liking her style.

Annabeth put a hat on and disappeared, I assume to find higher ground, and Zoe, with the grace only a huntress could possess, leapt off a display case onto an airplane suspended in the air. Bianca followed by going onto the second floor and hopping down onto a different airplane.

They fired arrows which just bounced harmlessly off the invulnerable skin of the Nemean Lion. I threw a fireball at it momentarily distracting it, before charging, just trying to think of anything. I jumped and rolled over the top of the Lion, bashing it in the skull with my shield as I flew over its head.

It didn't do much damage, but it shook its head trying to regain its bearings.

I saw Clarisse trying to distract it as I thought of a plan. It got bored before turning back to me. This irritated Clarisse as she stabbed it in the back, her spear tip crackling with electricity. It bounced off harmlessly, but did send a small shock through its body.

It roared, before turning around and swatting Clarisse away. She crashed into a display case, and wasn't moving. Hopefully, Annabeth would check on her, but it was too late for the lion. I saw its mouth as it roared, the only vulnerable part of its body.

"When I give you the signal, fire as many arrows as you can into its mouth" I said to both Zoe and Bianca. They both nodded as I clicked my sword, and it turned back into a pen, and I willed my shield away. I pulled on my necklace as my bow appeared.

I grabbed two arrows, and willed them on fire before firing both into the lion, effectively distracting it. I put my bow on my back before sprinting over to Clarisse and picking up her spear before sprinting towards the lion. I used the spear as a pole vault, and vaulted high above the lion, never letting go of the spear, as I jammed the spear in its mouth.

"Now" I screamed as I crashed to the floor. The lion tried to break the spear, but it was wedged in its mouth too tightly. Dozens of arrows followed, and all found their home in the lion's mouth. After a second, it dissolved into golden dust, a fur pelt the only thing left of the Nemean Lion.

I picked up the pelt and tossed it to Zoe. She shook her head, "it was your plan, you should have it" she said looking at it distastefully.

I smiled, "you guys were the ones who killed it, one of you should have it" I said. Zoe handed it to Bianca and that's when I remembered she had a bad history with Heracles.

That's when I heard a scream, and turned and saw Annabeth in the arms of one of the spartoi. Her hat on the floor a few feet away, they must've been able to smell her or see her, and knocked it off of her head.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Clarisse start to move once again, I tossed her spear over there before pulling the bow off of my back, and launching a flaming arrow into the face of the spartoi holding Annabeth.

It worked as it dropped Annabeth, it wasn't dead, but it was disoriented. I willed my bow away, before clicking my pen, turning it into my sword, and disappeared in a flash of flames.

I reappeared next to Annabeth, and put my hand on her shoulder, transporting her over to the others, before engaging the spartoi.

Thanking the Gods' that there was only a few here at that moment, I ducked and slashed at them. I wasn't making much progress, as I was outnumbered. Two charged at me again, as I ducked under the slash of one, before kicking the second one back, I quickly turned around and lopped the head off of the first one, and I waited for it to reform. When it didn't I grinned, it worked.

The one I kicked away, looked towards its fallen comrade shocked, before two more of them, appeared on either side of it. I cursed, I couldn't defeat all of them, not right now, I was too worn out already. I flipped my sword up into a spear like hold, and threw it with expert precision as it hit the middle spartoi right in the heart. It crumbled to the floor unmoving. I then threw multiple fireballs into the floor in front of the others, effectively creating a wall of fire between us and them.

I flashed over to my friends.

When I appeared over there I fell to a knee, gasping, I knew we needed to go and now. The other spartoi, now joined by the other ones, started towards us, not bothered in the slightest by the wall of fire. There was six of them, that meant two others would be around somewhere.

"Everyone hold hands" I said. They did as I said, as I grabbed Annabeth's hand. "Get me in the van when we get there, and Zoe, get us the hell out of here" I said as we disappeared in a flash of flames.

We appeared outside of the museum, right next to the van, before I saw darkness, and fell to the floor unconscious.

 **Line Break**

I was awoken by something loud hitting the roof. I saw a dent, and cursed. I then saw two helicopters above us and got an idea.

I clicked tidal wave, as they all looked shocked that I was awake. "What are you doing Perseus?" Annabeth asked from the front seat.

I didn't respond as I jumped over the seat into the very back of the van, so as to not put any of them in harm. I then cut a hole in the roof of the van before clicking tidal wave back into pen form and pulling on my necklace, as my bow appeared.

"Zoe, keep the car steady for a moment, don't switch lanes." She nodded, not liking what I was about to do. I stood on the seat, my upper body now out in the open as I felt the wind whipping me in the face. I pulled back on the string, and an arrow covered in Greek fire appeared.

They started firing again, hitting the top of the van a couple times, before one struck me in the shoulder. I screamed as I fired the arrow. It flew into the bottom of the plane, and the Greek fire spread before the plane exploded.

I went back through the hole in the van, and was met with six shocked eyes.

"Did you just get shot" asked Bianca worriedly.

"Yup" I said through gritted teeth, in obvious pain. I got some ambrosia out of my pack before popping a decent sized bite into my mouth. I felt a little better as I then clapped and conjured ten glasses of water. I willed the water out of the cups, and to hover in the air, before willing it to come over and cover my shoulder.

After a second, the blood disappeared and I felt better than I have in a long time, glad to get refreshed from the water. All that was left was a small bullet hole scar in my shoulder, although my shirt now had a hole in it. They all looked shocked at my display of power.

I took my shirt off, and noticed a tunnel. "Zoe, take that exit into that tunnel, there is a train down there we can take to lose the helicopter that is remaining." I said as I took out another shirt and put it on.

She nodded, and swerved across four lanes of traffic to get to the exit. I noticed Annabeth looking at me in wonder, and blushing. I smirked at her. Then, I face palmed, I forgot I had so many scars from my childhood. I gave her a look that said later, and she turned back around.

Once we got underground, the sound of the helicopter faded in the distance, until it became nothing.

"Who were those guys?" Bianca asked.

"Mercenaries" I said as Zoe nodded, "yeah, they were paid to attack us, I doubt they know who they were working for or who we are, but I also doubt it would've mattered. Mortals are easily manipulated." She explained.

I told Zoe to park, and we went over to the trains, when one in the corner caught my eye. Sun West Line it said on the side. I had an idea, and decided to go with it.

"Over here guys" I said, they all looked unsure, but followed anyway. I hopped up, and helped them aboard one of the train cars. I looked around and there were multiple automobiles littered across the train car.

Well at least we will have somewhere to sit and rest until we get there. I then heard some guy shouting at us, and gestured to them that I got this.

"Who are you kids, you're not supposed to be back here." The train guard said.

I snapped my fingers and his eyes glazed over. "This is our station until we reach our destination. We were told to stay here, and make sure no stragglers climb aboard here" I said confidently.

He nodded, "Yes, well, good job, keep up the good work" he said before walking away. I closed the train door so we would have some privacy, before rejoining the others.

Annabeth looked at me shocked, "What the hell was that?" she asked in disbelief.

I looked surprised, "What? Manipulating the mist? Chiron hasn't taught you that?" I asked. At the shake of her head I continued. "And they say they teach you to be prepared for the mortal world. I'll teach you guys sometime after the quest, it's a useful thing to know." I said as they nodded.

"Sadly, that won't be the last we see of those spartoi, they will follow us until we are killed or they are. Bianca and I should be able to take care of them once I am back to full strength, but you guys will not be able to kill them. Take them out of commission for a few moments maybe, but not fully kill." I explained.

I looked at Bianca to see her about to speak up, "Bianca, you will be able to kill them because you are a daughter of Hades, and I can kill them because my sword is made of many metals, one of which is stygian iron." I said, as they all nodded.

"I am going to go rest, I suggest you all do the same, I don't know the next time we will get to rest like this." I said before walking off, not waiting for a response.

I opened the door to a Nissan Altima, and hopped in the driver's seat, my thoughts immediately drifting to Thalia, and Artemis. I was worried about both of them. All of a sudden there was a flash and Apollo appeared.

"Sun West Line" I muttered, "I had a feeling you had something to do with this" I said with a smile as we shook hands.

He nodded, "this will take you as far west as it can, and then you are on your own. I am already doing more than I should with that, and by being here. So, call me Fred, I am incognito at the moment." He said, and I nodded.

He continued, "I've been watching your quest, and I am not surprised that you have been saving everyone over and over, seeing as you're traveling with four girls" he said with a smirk, and I was not at all surprised by what he said.

I shook my head, "I just want to save Thalia and Artemis, and the others are helping more than you know" I said.

"Our time here grows short, seek out Nereus, the old man of the sea, he will answer any question you have" I nodded, "Now I believe you are about to get an audience with one man hating huntress" he said with a smirk as he disappeared in a flash.

"Bye Fred" I said sarcastically, as the passenger door opened and Zoe took a seat next to me. We sat in an uncomfortable silence, before she cleared her throat. "Do you even know that we are heading in the right direction?" She asked irritated.

I laughed, "Yeah I have a feeling we are. A little birdie told me." I said with a chuckle. She glared at me, as I gulped. "Fred told me this will take us as far west as it can."

"Fred?" She looked thoughtful for a moment before scowling, "Apollo?" she asked disgustedly. I nodded with a finger to my lips. "He is incognito, but yeah."

"You know where Artemis is don't you?" I asked cautiously. She nodded sadly.

"I didn't want to believe it at first, but with Atlas being In D.C. it confirms that Lady Artemis is trapped under the sky" She said sadly. Then it hit me, and I went over the prophecy again in my head.

"You think the prophecy refers to you?" I asked shocked, "and you still volunteered to come?"

She nodded sadly, "It is my duty, and if I am to die saving my goddess then so be it" She said. I looked at her, really looked at her and saw how beautiful she was. I then shook my head of those thoughts, that will only get me an arrow where the sun doesn't shine.

"Zoe, prophecy's often have double meanings, it isn't set in stone" I said seriously. She didn't look convinced though.

"If the fates will it, there is little I can do about it" she said dejectedly.

I shook my head, "Zoe, you're not going to die, I won't let you, I promise. I swear it on the Styx" I said confidently as thunder rumbled above us.

She looked at me shocked, "Why would you do that?" She asked.

I smiled at her, "Because you needed to have hope, and I consider you to be one of my friends, and I don't let my friends die, and I certainly don't break my promises to them. Finally, because you are very important to Artemis, and she is important to me, losing you would hurt her" I finished seriously.

She smiled, "Perseus, you are a good friend." She said, "well for a man at least" she finished smirking.

I rolled my eyes, "but seriously, thank you, I know the rest of us haven't been much help on the quest so far, but when it counts we'll have your back, I'll have your back" She said seriously. I gave her a nod of appreciation, before telling her, "I have a feeling this won't bring us as far as we hope, you should get some sleep"

She nodded before leaving after a quick goodbye. I then decided to take my own advice and drifted into the realm of Morpheus.

 **Line Break**

I was awoken from my sleep from Annabeth banging on the window. She said we had arrived in New Mexico, so I left the car and gathered all of my things before joining the others.

We exited the train and it looked like we were in the middle of nowhere. There was only an old gas station, so I conjured everyone some food, and told them I would go ask how far the nearest town was.

I came back out, and saw they were all basically ready to go. "So, there is a town a couple miles down the road there, maybe there is a train, and if not we can just steal a car or something" I said pointing down the street.

They nodded, and we started down the street. After about ten minutes we arrived at an old junkyard that looked like it stretched for miles. I had a bad feeling about this. I looked over and saw Zoe with a similar look on her face.

Before I could say anything, Annabeth started walking towards it. Zoe said we should go around but Annabeth and Bianca disagreed saying, it was a straight shot right through.

We grudgingly decided to go straight through. After walking for a few minutes, me and Zoe a lot more cautiously than the other members of our quest, I paled and realized where we were. "Are you guys seeing some of this stuff?" Annabeth asked in wonder, gesturing to a pile of old celestial bronze weapons.

I instantly said, "Nobody touch anything!" They looked shocked by my tone of voice.

"Why?" Annabeth asked. Zoe was the one to reply, "because this is Hephaestus' junkyard" she said seriously.

I saw Bianca with a look of regret on her face as she tried to drop a little clay figurine.

I gulped, it's too late for that, I thought to myself, as a giant fifty foot tall automaton rose from the heaps of scraps, pulling its twenty foot sword from its scabbard with an ear piercing screech as metal grated against metal.

 **A.N. Well there is chapter 4, it is the longest chapter so far. I will probably leave the poll open until after next chapter, so go vote if you haven't already. I have a pretty busy week ahead of me, so I am not sure how often I will be able to update, so go review and let me know what you thought.**


	5. Chapter 4

**A.N. I couldn't sleep last night, so I decided to write this chapter. Don't forget to vote on the poll.**

* * *

 _I gulped, it's too late for that, I thought to myself, as a giant fifty-foot-tall automaton rose from the heaps of scraps, pulling its twenty-foot sword from its scabbard with an ear-piercing screech as metal grated against metal._

Zoe dove behind a pile of scrap metal, as Bianca did the same, and they both pulled out their bows. Annabeth put on her hat and disappeared. Clarisse pulled out her spear as I clicked tidal wave and prepared for what would nearly be an impossible battle.

"Is that Talos?" Annabeth gasped. Zoe shook her head, "It's too small to be Talos, it must be a prototype or something, the fact that it is here though is bad news, it must be the guard of this junkyard" She said worriedly.

I instinctively lit my sword on fire, it wouldn't do much, but hopefully it would at least help a little. As the girls began firing arrows, me and Clarisse were circling the giant automaton on opposite sides. The arrows appeared to be doing little more than irritating it though.

All of a sudden it lunged at me and I dove under the strike. I immediately realized that if its sword even grazed me, it would be enough to kill me.

I saw Clarisse dodge a strike and throw her spear into the side of its knee. Its body seemed to conduct the electric spear tip, but this seemed to empower it more than anything.

I started running a little bit, to draw its attention back on me. As it stepped towards me, that's when I saw it. There was this little hatch on the bottom of its foot. Apparently, Bianca saw it too as she said, "Percy, on its foot, we can get inside, distract it for me."

Before I could even disagree with her, she ran from behind her cover. I cursed before throwing a fireball at the automaton, effectively garnering its attention.

Or so I thought at least, what happened next none of us could have predicted. Zoe fired an arrow right into its ear, which appeared to just annoy the automaton. It then turned to her, but then saw Bianca approaching cautiously, it must not have liked that as it brought its sword down on her.

I screamed out, but it was too late. The sword connected with her, throwing her into a huge pile of junk. I wanted to check on her, but I knew in my heart she was gone. It should've been me, I thought. I should've tried to get inside of it.

I unclicked tidal wave, and summoned my bow. I then launched three flaming arrows right into its face, effectively distracting it. For the time being at least.

I sprinted over by where they were all gathered by Bianca, Annabeth was the only one with tears in her eyes, but it was obvious that they were all saddened by what had happened.

I immediately said that they all needed to make a run for it. I saw Clarisse and surprisingly Zoe about to argue before I steeled my nerves.

"NO, you guys need to rescue Artemis, and Thalia, I will take care of Talos, and I will catch up as soon as I can." I growled out. They all knew they wouldn't win this argument with me, so with one last look at Bianca they ran off, towards the exit, and ever so slightly closer to rescuing them.

My only thought was of hoping I would survive, and see them again, even Zoe. We had grown surprisingly close while on this quest.

That was soon replaced by anger. Anger that it should've been me, that I wasn't strong enough to save her, that I might not be strong enough to save the others.

I heard Talos approaching, but all I could think about was how angry I was. I eventually clicked tidal wave, bringing my sword back out, and I realized that in my anger my whole body had been engulfed in Greek fire.

I lit my sword on fire, then sprinted at Talos. I rolled under a strike, and jumped as high as I possibly could, before bringing my sword down right in the side of its knee.

It wobbled for a few seconds, before collapsing to the ground, with my sword still in its knee. I was also thrown to the ground, but I was on my feet much quicker than Talos was. I reignited my whole body in Greek fire, and hurled two huge fire balls into the automaton, one in the face and the other in the stomach.

It quickly spread to the rest of its body, and I knew it was finished. I finally relaxed myself a little, and realized how worn out I was. Keeping my whole body lit like that had taken a lot out of me.

I took out a square of ambrosia and popped it in my mouth, feeling a little better at best. I then decided to go over to Bianca's body and make her a proper funeral pyre. After I had set it up, and set her on there, I lit it and it went up in flames.

I sent a silent prayer to Hades, telling him that I was sorry that I failed him, before disappearing in a mist.

 **Line Break**

I reappeared outside of the junkyard, and noticed for the first time that I had a few tears in my eyes. I wiped them away, before praying to my patron.

I saw a flash to my left, and I immediately engulfed Hestia in a hug. Her presence immediately having a calming effect on me.

I pulled away and smiled sadly at her. She nodded to me showing she understood how I was feeling. She gave me a few words of encouragement before giving me another quick hug, and disappearing in a flash. In her place was a black motorcycle with flames designs on it.

I gave a small smile before hopping on, and speeding off down the road, hoping that I wasn't too far behind.

I rode like that for a couple of hours, going as fast as I possibly could before I saw a black pickup truck in front of me begin to slow down. As I was approaching it, I noticed a silver circlet on the top of the driver's head, bringing a smile to my face.

I started slowing down a little, relieved I had caught up. I pulled up right next to the window, and saw three shocked faces just staring at me. I motioned towards the next exit, and after seeing Zoe nod, I sped off and cut them off, before shooting down the exit ramp that would lead us to Hoover Dam.

I knew Zoe would be absolutely pissed that I cut her off like that, but it was definitely worth it.

I pulled up into the parking lot, and hopped off the bike. I leaned against the back of it and just sat there impatiently for a few minutes until they pulled in next to me and all got out.

"Jeez I knew you were really old, but I didn't think that you would drive like a grandma" I said with a smirk at Zoe. Clarisse and Annabeth both cracked up at this, while Zoe just looked shocked for a moment.

She then stormed over to me and gave me a hard slap across the face, "That was for cutting me off, and this" she said before punching me hard in the gut, making me double over, "was for calling me old." She finished with a smile.

"Damn you know how to throw a punch" I grunted out between breaths, "it was still worth it though" I said with a smile, after regaining my bearings.

"You have got to let me ride that" Clarisse said, coming up to me with a hopeful look in her eyes. I shrugged tossing her the keys, and she laughed as she hopped on and left to go on a little 'joy ride' as she put it.

Once Clarisse left, Annabeth was just giving us fact after fact about the Dam, and everything about it, and I politely told her that I couldn't care less about any of her facts, so she should just go explore while she has the chance, before we head out again.

Annabeth also went off on her own, as it was now just me and Zoe. "So, what happened back there?" Zoe finally asked. I looked up at her with regret.

"I'm so sorry Zoe, I told her that I would do it, but she wouldn't listen. She wanted to be the one to stop it, to fix her mistake. I'm sorry that I have failed you, and cost you a hunter. One lost in the land without rain. I shouldn't have given in when they wanted to go through, we could have just gone around" I said, looking away, not willing to meet her eyes.

She scoffed at that, "Perseus not everything is always your fault, she wasn't ready for this quest, I should've asked an older, more experienced hunter to come along. Besides, I was the one that shot it in the ear, causing it to turn towards Bianca. It is as much my fault as it is yours. You can't escape a prophecy, someone was destined to die there. It just happened to be her" she said sadly, probably thinking about her own line in the prophecy.

"You're not going to die Zoe. You know you are the only real friend I have ever had. Thalia is family, and I am nothing without her, and the Goddesses and Gods, well they were always too formal, too much like teachers. Annabeth is kind of annoying, and Clarisse is more of a comrade, but you, you are my only real friend." I finished smiling sincerely at her.

She looked shocked at this but said, "You are the only real friend I have ever had too, Lady Artemis is too formal, more like a mother, and the other hunters are like sisters." She finished with a slight blush on her face.

I decided to ignore that last part, "So thank you, for showing me that not all men are as bad as that vile Heracles, now, how did you escape the junkyard back there?" She asked, saying 'Heracles' with disgust.

I told her how I was overtaken with anger, and my whole body was engulfed in Greek fire. How I defeated it, and nearly passed out in exhaustion. When I told her about Bianca, and giving her a proper funeral, she surprised me by pulling me into a hug, thanking me. I chose not to comment on that, much to her relief, as I told her how I prayed to Hestia, and she conjured me up the motorcycle.

She looked shocked at the display of power I had to have possessed to take out the giant automaton. Before she could say anything else though, I heard a loud "Mooooooo"

I looked around confused, "Hey I'll be right back" I told her and headed over to the edge of the dam, not waiting to hear her response. I saw a sea creature swimming around down below, so that's where it came from I thought.

I looked at the creature closely, it was half cow, half serpent. I gasped in shock realizing what it was, as Zoe came over to see what I was looking at.

She asked what it was, and I just looked at her with a worried look. "If I had to guess, that is the monster that Artemis was hunting before she got captured by the titan army. Zoe, that's the ophiotaurus. It is said that if you slay the beast, and burn the entrails, you will have the power to destroy the Gods." I said, looking at her trying to gauge her reaction.

She just paled, so I willed the water to hold it in place just below the surface, before looking at her expectantly. When she just stared at me blankly I said, "Zoe, kill it. I will hold it in place, and after it is dead I will send it to the bottom of the sea, somewhere no one will ever find it." I finished.

She looked unsure, so I gave her a nod of encouragement. She took out her bow, aimed, and fired, straight through the head of the beast. I sent it spiraling into the bottom of the sea, feeling good that there was one less threat we would have to worry about.

We turned to go back over by the truck, when Clarisse sped to a stop right in front of us. A wicked grin could be seen on her face.

"I gotta get me one of these" She said, seemingly in a very good mood after the ride. The motorcycle disappeared in a flash, and I knew Hestia was just relocating it to somewhere else, seeing as I wouldn't need it now. Clarisse on the other hand looked as if someone had taken away her favorite toy.

Just then Annabeth walked out, and came back over to us. She had this faraway look in her eyes, and I knew she must have enjoyed herself in there.

"Alright, let's get back on the road, I'll drive. Two of you will have to sit in the bed though, since there isn't enough room in the back" I said grabbing the keys from Zoe, who then called shotgun.

I was about to get in when I saw a spartoi turn the corner. It locked eyes with me, before saying something I couldn't understand, notifying the other spartoi of our presence I am sure.

I tossed Zoe the keys and told her to go and get everyone out of here. I could handle it, but she immediately shot me down this time. When she saw that I was going to argue, she threw me a death glare, making it clear that they had my back on this one.

I sighed, "fine, but you guys be careful, just watch my back" I said clicking tidal wave into sword form.

I lit it on fire before charging at the spartoi, I could only see two of them, but I am sure plenty more would be coming. I summoned my shield as I did a baseball slide under the first, bashing my shield into its shin on my way by, as it fell to a knee. I got up quickly and engaged the second. They were fairly skilled that was for sure.

I attacked relentlessly, until it slashed at me and I blocked it with my sword, and then bashed my shield into its chest throwing it back. Without wasting another second I lunged forward and stabbed it through the chest making it crumble to the ground unmoving.

I turned around and saw Clarisse engaged with one, while Zoe was holding two of them back with her hunting knives. I saw for the first time what Artemis had said about her. She didn't make mistakes, every move she made was perfect.

I saw Annabeth was engaged with one, and struggling with just her knife. I sent a fireball into the back of one of the spartoi battling Zoe, effectively distracting it, but when it looked over, it was just met with empty air. I reappeared by Annabeth, just in time to block a strike that would have killed her. I sent a hard kick into the spartoi's chest, before making sure Annabeth was alright.

After a nod, I turned back to the spartoi and threw my shield right at it, like a Frisbee. It hit the spartoi right in the chin and I quickly sped over and stabbed it in the chest, effectively killing it before it could get back up.

I turned to check on the others, and Zoe was now in battle with three of them, while Clarisse battled two herself. Counting them in my head, I thought that left just one of them unaccounted for. Annabeth went over to help Zoe, as I snuck over towards Clarisse.

She noticed me and smiled tiredly, struggling against the might of both, and not being able to kill them. I had gotten into position and gave her a nod, as she kicked the one back, who went flying right into me, and before it knew what hit it, there was a sword protruding from its chest.

I sent a fireball into the second one as it tried to sneak up on her now. She whirled around shocked, before I saw the shield on her back. I told her to take a knee for a second. I then sprinted towards her and jumped onto the shield on her back, right as she jumped up, effectively launching me up into the air. I flipped over the spartoi into a barrel roll, before turning around and slashing my sword across its throat, dislodging its head from its body.

That is six dead now, four to go. I looked over and saw Annabeth, on the ground, with a pretty deep wound in her leg, but nothing fatal thankfully. Zoe was once again engaged with three. I told Clarisse to go check on Annabeth, as I flashed over by Zoe's side, drawing a yelp from her.

Before she could react, I blocked a strike aimed for her head while spinning, and simultaneously grabbing one of her hunting knives. All in the same motion I threw it right into the forehead of one of the spartoi. It wasn't dead, but it crumbled to the ground disoriented with a hunting knife in its head. I ran over and stabbed it in the chest quickly, ending its worthless existence.

I grabbed Zoe's hunting knife and got an idea. I threw a fire ball into the spartoi that was sneaking up on her, before throwing the hunting knife into the back of the one she was locked in combat with. I tossed my sword over its head, unbeknownst to it, as it turned around on me, wondering what stabbed it in the back.

She caught the sword and sliced through its neck in one swift motion. She didn't wait to see if it would stay dead though, as she turned around and battled the last one expertly. She was a blur of movements. Even I was amazed by her speed. She locked blades with it, before disarming it and stabbing it right through the heart, as it crumbled to the ground dead.

I gave her a nod of respect as she handed me my sword. I clicked it back into pen form, as she went over to gather my shield and Annabeth's knife.

I walked over to check on the both of them. Annabeth had a bad wound, but would be fine. I clapped my hands, conjuring some water, and then started healing their wounds. I looked over to ask Zoe if she had any wounds, but gasped at what I saw.

The last spartoi, the one I stupidly forgot about, was turning the corner and heading straight for Zoe, but she was looking the other direction. It was too late to warn her, so I did the only thing I could think of. I took out my pen and disappeared over to her in a flash of flames. I shoved her to the ground right as a blade was thrust through my stomach. I looked down at it in shock. In a last ditch effort to save my friends, I raised my hand and clicked tidal wave. It elongated into a sword, straight into its chest, and into its heart. I saw it collapse before I started falling towards the ground, my vision darkened as I plummeted into darkness.

 **Line Break**

I awoke to a hard surface underneath me. Upon further investigation, I realized I was moving as well. My body ached, but I opened my eyes and saw bright blue skies, and trees whizzing by. I sat up, and immediately regretted it, as black spots danced across my vision. I conjured some water to drink, and ate a square of ambrosia, as the memory of what happened to me returned.

I got stabbed, at least Zoe was okay I thought. I then conjured more water and fully healed the wound to my stomach. Well it healed as much as it was going to, as I saw a new scar, joining many others on my chest. I then looked inside the car, and saw the three girls.

Annabeth and Clarisse were sleeping and Zoe was driving, eyes locked on the road in front of her. I tried to figure out how to open the small window, but couldn't figure it out, so I just reared my fist back, and punched right through it, cursing a little as I cut up my hand.

Zoe swerved a little, but got the car back under control, as she glared at me through the mirror. I could see a small smile tugging at her lips though. The other girls jolted awake when I punched the window, and just looked happy that I was better, and awake.

"Head for San Francisco, were searching for Nereus" I said to Zoe, who nodded and floored it, trying to get there as quick as possible.

"So, what happened after I got stabbed?" I asked Annabeth, since Zoe was driving, and Clarisse was in the front seat.

"Well after putting on your little display of power by killing seven of those things, while saving all three of us, you came to check on me. That's when the last one attacked Zoe, only she wasn't there anymore, and it stabbed you. Before you fell unconscious, you managed to kill it though. Then I fed you some ambrosia, and Zoe took out some water and poured it over your wound as it slowly closed up, and scarred over. Then we started driving." She said, looking at me in amazement.

I nodded, just happy everyone was alright. I then decided to try to get some rest before arriving in San Francisco.

 **Line Break**

I awoke and saw it was about midday now. If luck is on our side we will arrive at the Garden of the Hesperides later tonight, as the only time you could enter is when day is becoming night.

Zoe stopped the car at a pier, and we all got out. She led us over to the pier and I saw an old guy that could have been a relative of Santa Claus'. Zoe pulled us aside and smirked at me, "You won't be able to just waltz right up to him. You're going to have to mask your scent" she said smiling evilly.

The next thing I know, I reeked, and I looked like an absolute hobo. I felt like I had just bathed in garbage.

I decided to just get on with it as I walked down the pier, stumbling around, pretending to be drunk.

I then pretended to trip and flew right into Nereus, who shrieked and yelled curses at me. Before he could dive in the sea, and find out that I was a son of Poseidon, and that wouldn't work, I clicked tidal wave and put it to his throat.

He surrendered, before telling me that the same rules apply, I would only get one question.

I thought about it, "how do I save my friend Zoe, if she is prophesized to die on this quest?" I asked seriously.

He laughed, "That's it? That's simple. It is in the prophecy,

And one shall perish by a parent's hand

Unless siblings separated only by their fathers foil their plan

You and Thalia, must combine forces to save her from her father. Only the power of Hestia and the power of the sea can save her now" he said, before turning into a goldfish and diving into the water.

So, me and Thalia would have to combine forces somehow to heal her? No, no, no. Patience, I thought to myself, now that I know we can save her, I can figure out how to do it later. I jumped into the sea to wash this filth off of me, and then climbed back onto the pier.

I walked back over to them before gesturing them over to the car. I got fresh clothes out of my pack and grabbed the keys. Zoe in shotgun, and the other girls in back.

We drove in silence for a while, neither really knowing what to say.

It eventually got really foggy around us and I knew we were getting close. Almost on instinct I stopped the car, and told everyone to get out.

"We have to travel on foot from here, the Garden of the Hesperides is right up there" I said, as they nodded. We hurried up the mountain, all of us just wanting to get this over with.

We came upon a tree that was littered with golden apples. The apples of immortality, Hera's wedding gift from Zeus, I thought to myself. I then noticed the hundred headed dragon coiled around the tree.

I whispered to Zoe, "Do you think Ladon remembers you?" She gave a nod, but looked uncertain. "I may have a very bad plan" I said to her, making her go pale.

All of a sudden four beings shimmered into existence. They all looked eerily like Zoe. Tthese must be the other Hesperides.

"Sisters..." Zoe began, before one of them hissed, "We see no sister of ours, we see three demigods, and a huntress of Artemis, all who will soon be dead" She was about to retort, but I beat her to it.

"We're not here to take any of your golden apples, so we'd appreciate it if you guys left and let us carry on" I said confidently.

They looked displeased, one of them spoke up, "All I have to do is say the word, and Ladon will awaken, ending your lives" she snarled at me.

All of a sudden Zoe yelled, "Ladon, wake" The hundred heads uncoiled, and looked around towards the familiar voice. The Hesperides shimmered out of existence, leaving us alone with Ladon.

"I don't have time for this" I ranted, "everyone grab hands" they did as I said, and I grabbed Zoe's hand before disappearing in a mist, right as Ladon was making his way over to us.

We reappeared higher up on the mountain, out of his reach, and sprinted up towards the top. When we got there, I paled, while Zoe gasped. It was the throne room of Mount Othrys, it shouldn't have been there though, it was reforming.

She then laid eyes on Artemis, and rushed over to her side.

"No, it is a trap, you must leave" She pleaded. Zoe just tugged on the chains around the goddess's wrists and ankles.

"Well isn't that touching" A voice boomed. Atlas walked out from the shadows. Luke Castellan, the traitor son of Hermes at his side, and bound and gagged at his side was Thalia. This almost sent me into a rage, but Annabeth put a hand on my shoulder calming me down.

Luke looked fearfully at me, then turned his attention to Annabeth.

"Let Thalia go" I yelled, steeling my nerves.

Atlas sneered at me, "This is a family affair demigod, you have no right to interfere." He then turned to Zoe, "Yes, it's been many years Zoe, how is my little traitor doing? I will enjoy killing you" He said, laughing maniacally.

I looked over at Zoe who nodded. I clicked tidal wave. It appeared in sword form, and I then summoned my shield, before saying, "Zoe and Annabeth take down the monsters, Clarisse go after Luke and Thalia, Atlas is mine" I thundered before sprinting at Atlas. That's when all chaos erupted on the top of that mountain.

He laughed as I approached. I sprinted forward and went into a baseball slide under him, clipping his shin with my shield, much like I did against the spartoi. It worked just as well, it sent him to a knee with a grunt.

I got up quickly and slashed my sword across his back. It was a small cut, but it still shocked the titan.

He growled, before turning around quickly and swinging his javelin like a baseball bat, catching me in the chest and sending me flying. I landed roughly, but still climbed to my feet. I saw a few arrows sprout from a chink in Atlas' armor. They did little but irritate him, although it was an effective distraction as I threw my shield at him like a Frisbee.

He tried to duck, but couldn't in time, as it caught him in the chin and sent him to the ground. I threw a fireball at him, and he grunted as his flesh burned. When he put it out, I was right in front of him, slashing at his neck, but he blocked it right in time. He took advantage of my momentary lapse there and went on the offensive.

His strikes were powerful, it should be a weakness, but it isn't with him. His speed is remarkable for someone his size. He swung his javelin like a baseball bat again, but I expected it this time. I ducked and moved to go on the offensive, but he moved inside my guard.

He reared back and punched me in the face with such force that it threw me back and my sword tumbled over the edge of the mountain. It would return eventually, but not in time.

Zoe jumped in front of her father, and stood toe to toe with him, hunting knives to javelin. I ran up to an enemy demigod, and dodged his spear before grabbing it, and pulling forward. His face met my fist as his nose broke, and he lost his grip on the spear. I grabbed his neck and twisted. The sickening crunch of his neck snapping was all I heard.

It was cruel yes, but he is a traitor, he got what he deserved. I charged back over to Atlas as I saw him backhand Zoe, and then embed his javelin deep into her stomach.

Rage is all I felt as I engaged him again. He was taken aback with my speed and strength at first, but then regained control. My inexperience with a spear quickly giving him a big advantage. He quickly disarmed me and took me in a bear hug.

I couldn't breathe. This is it, I thought, as it felt like all my bones were breaking. Then the bracelet on my wrist caught my attention, well more specifically the flame charm.

I concentrated with everything I had and lit my entire body in Greek fire. Atlas screamed as his body was burned badly. I fell to the ground and gasped for breath.

Just then I remembered a few lines of the prophecy, and knew what I had to do. I hobbled over to Artemis, and took my pen back out, which had returned to me. I clicked it and tidal wave appeared in sword form. With one swift slash, I cut the chains that were binding Artemis. I knelt down next to her, and what I felt was unimaginable pain, and I wasn't even holding it alone yet.

"Artemis give me the sky" I said confidently. She looked unsure at first, but I said, "You have to, he's too strong for me, only you can defeat him"

She nodded, and rolled out from under the sky. She charged at Atlas, who was still recovery from the extreme burns I had given him.

Once I took the full weight of the sky, I almost passed out, immediately regretting setting my whole body on Greek fire, as it had drained me of so much energy. I shook those thoughts away though, as I focused on the battle at hand. Artemis was little more than a blur of silver. I heard her speak in my mind.

"Perseus be ready to let go, when he comes flying towards you, start loosening your grip." I nodded, and started loosening my grip when I saw Artemis land on the ground in front of me. I smirked knowing what would happen.

Atlas started boasting as if he had won, but when he brought his javelin down, Artemis moved ever so slightly. It missed her and connected with the ground. She grabbed it and pulled like a lever, sending Atlas flying right into me, as I let him hit me and push me out from under the sky.

I rolled away, and got to my feet as I saw Clarisse holding Luke at spear point. He lunged at her, his last ditch effort, but she kicked him in the chest. He stumbled backwards, and lost his footing, before tumbling off the side of the mountain, much like my sword had.

I heard Annabeth shriek and go over to the edge of the mountain with tears in her eyes.

I looked over to Atlas and saw him re position the sky on his back before bellowing, and screaming about how he will kill each and every one of us.

All of sudden I was on my back, and there was a blur of black on top of me. Realizing what was happening, I hugged Thalia back with just as much force.

My eyes widened after that though, as I looked towards Zoe. Artemis knelt next to her, with a tear in her eye. All of a sudden it hit me, and I knew how to save Zoe.

I ran over there, Thalia right behind me. I skidded to a halt a foot away from Artemis, "Artemis, do you trust me?" I asked pleadingly.

She looked questioningly at me before nodding, "I promise I will explain after, but we don't have much time" I said, as I picked up Zoe, and turned to Thalia, "Lightning travel down to the ocean below" I said, disappearing in a mist with Zoe, leaving them both standing there shocked.

I reappeared a couple feet in front of the ocean and looked at Zoe, she didn't look too good, "Perseus, what are you doing?" She mumbled weakly.

"Just keeping a promise to a friend is all" I said looking at her seriously. All of a sudden Thalia appeared, and I put my plan into action.

"Thalia, there is only one way to heal her. I am going to bring her into the ocean, and use my water powers to heal her. That won't be enough though, only with your help, using your healing powers from Hestia, will this work" I finished out of breath, already walking into the ocean.

Her whole body was submerged, except for her head. I had my hand on her stomach, while Thalia did the same, an orange hue coming from her hand though.

Very gradually color began to return to her face, and the wound eventually closed up. She was unconscious, but she would live.

I brought her back onto the beach, to find the questioning eyes of Artemis. "That's what I asked Nereus, how I could save Zoe from the prophecy, he said only me and Thalia working together would be able to." I explained.

She conjured up her chariot and said, "We have much to discuss on the way to Olympus Perseus" She said with a pointed look at Zoe. I only nodded.

After we got in the air, Annabeth and Clarisse had gone to sleep, exhaustion overtaking them from the battle they had just won. Zoe was still unconscious, and Thalia joined her. I was the only one that knew that she was afraid of heights, and always passed out in the air, something I wanted to help her work on.

Artemis turned to me questioningly. I began to recount the tale of our journey, and of how we had become friends along the way. I told her how I promised Zoe she wouldn't die, and how I make it a point to never break my promises. She looked at me, shocked at hearing the journey we just had. She pulled me into a hug, thanking me several times for saving her Lieutenant, both on the quest, and from the death blow that was prophesized from her father.

We then talked about the upcoming council meeting, and she assured me that she would make sure the council voted to start to act against the titans and their growing army. I nodded relieved at that.

We fell into a comfortable silence, occasionally reminiscing about past memories. She'd tell me about some of her past hunts, and I would happily listen. I felt so relaxed, just sitting here with Artemis, like old times, just talking, as if a war wasn't on the horizon.

Eventually we arrived on Olympus, and we woke up the sleeping girls. Zoe came up to me and pulled me into a hug, thanking me over and over. I waved her off, just telling her that I don't break my promises. This made her smile. I told her that I would explain everything to her later after the council meeting.

We walked down the streets of Olympus. Streets that I have walked down almost every day for the past three and a half years. I bumped Thalia with my shoulder, just making small talk with her after telling her that I would explain everything that happened on the quest later, after the meeting.

We got to the throne room doors, and Artemis grew to her godly height. She turned to us with a smile, "Let me go in first, wait a few moments before following" She said mysteriously with a smile. She walked in and the throne room doors closed just as quickly as they had opened.

I looked back at Zoe, Annabeth, and Clarisse, and gave them nods. I jokingly looked at my wrist, pretending there was a watch there, and tapped my foot impatiently.

After a minute, I threw an arm around Thalia's shoulder and pushed the doors open, my only thought being, "I'm home."

* * *

 **A.N. There's Chapter 5. Yeah, I haven't really read the titans curse in a while and was just going off memory, as you probably noticed last chapter, and this one. I noticed I haven't been getting as many views or reviews lately. Is it just a boring story? I don't know maybe it's just coincidental, but any input and tips would be greatly appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 5

_I looked back at Zoe, Annabeth, and Clarisse, and gave them nods. I jokingly looked at my wrist, pretending there was a watch there, and tapped my foot impatiently._

 _After a minute, I threw an arm around Thalia's shoulder and pushed the doors open, my only thought being, "I'm home."_

We entered the throne room to applause from every God, and Goddess. Each one standing, looking at us with pride.

Thalia and I entered first, followed by Zoe, and Annabeth and Clarisse brought up the rear. They looked around amazed, and just tried to take everything in. I bowed before my father, and Zeus. I then made my way over to Hestia's throne. Thalia joined us after talking with her father, and Hestia engulfed us both in a hug. She conjured us a little bench to sit on so we wouldn't have to stand the whole meeting. I knew firsthand how long and boring they can be sometimes.

Zeus started to drawl on about who knows what, as I completely spaced out. I was brought out of my thoughts when Zeus cleared his throat, "Yes, well we have voted to act against the titans, and their reforming army. We will start preparations in the near future." He then turned to me, "Perseus, you have done very well. You have saved both of my daughters. You have done Olympus proud." He said with pride in his eyes.

I nodded, "I am just glad they are both safe. I couldn't have done it without Clarisse, Zoe, and Annabeth though," I said with a smile. They looked like they were about to disagree with that, but I continued, "Thalia, and Artemis wouldn't be here right now if not for them, they deserve your thanks just as much if not more than I do."

Zeus thanked the three girls, but I got up and walked over to my Uncle Hades throne. I bowed quickly, before looking up at him sadly, "I am sorry I couldn't save your daughter uncle." I said looking down. He put a hand on my shoulder surprising me, "Perseus, it is alright, I have talked to her in Elysium, and she is happy. She said you tried to stop her, but it was her battle to fight." I nodded before going back to Hestia's throne.

Zeus then asked us to recount the tale of our journey. Annabeth and Zoe, told most of it, me and Clarisse jumped in occasionally to add something that they forgot. When they got to the part at the Hoover Dam I grimaced. After they heard Annabeth explain what happened there, they all looked at me and Zoe in shock.

Artemis rushed out of her throne and engulfed me in a hug, with a few tears in her eyes, "That's twice now that you have saved my Lieutenant, thank you so much Perseus" I nodded happily, as she retook her seat.

They continued telling the story. Again, they looked at me shocked that I stood toe to toe with Atlas, one of the strongest titans, and even landed a few strikes on him.

They finished with how me and Thalia saved Zoe from the prophecy. Everyone looked shocked at this. Zeus looked over apologetically, "I am sorry, but she was destined to die on the quest, there is nothing we can do" he said sadly.

I shook my head before disappearing in a mist and reappearing right in front of Zoe, Thalia joining me a moment later. "I am sorry uncle, but you can't kill her." He looked at me sadly, "Perseus, if we don't, the Fates themselves will just come for her" I shook my head, "Then they are going to have to go through me as well." I said seriously.

Zoe yanked me around, "What're you doing Perseus, you can't just attack the fates" I quickly shushed her, earning myself a death glare from her. I turned back around, and looked around at everyone in the room. "Isn't there anything we can do, any alternative to killing her, or fighting the Fates" I asked hopefully.

I was met with silence from the fourteen immortal beings in front of me. Looks like it is going to be a fight then. All of a sudden the Fates appeared in the throne room. I brought my pen out and clicked it as it grew into sword form. I then lit it on fire for good measure, and saw Thalia with her spear out as well, glad that she was backing me up on this.

"The huntress was supposed to be killed on the quest, and someone else was supposed to take her place as Lieutenant." The old hag growled out. They brought out the scissors and were about to cut her life string before I quickly clicked tidal wave into pen form, summoned my bow and shot an arrow at the fates.

The arrow hit the scissors effectively knocking them to the ground as well as Zoe's life string, which I quickly picked up, and stored in my back pocket. One of them growled out, "we'll just have to kill her by hand then." they were getting upset that a mere demigod was putting up such a fight.

They made their way towards the two demigods, and the huntress, before falling flat to the floor. A huge fireball just narrowly missing their heads. This set the throne room on fire, but my father quickly put it out. I would have to thank him later for that. I felt just as I did when I was in the junkyard, and it was just me and Talos. I felt unstoppable, the anger coursing through me, aiding me rather than affecting me.

They must have noticed the power rolling off of me in waves, as they stood still, pale as a ghost. They talked between themselves for a second before turning back to the room. "We will relent just this once," they laughed maniacally for a second, before composing themselves. "Here are your options Miss Nightshade, you can be killed, just like you were prophesized. Artemis can release you from your oath and you can live your life however you wish. Or, you can step down as Lieutenant, and still be in the hunt, while Phoebe takes your place." They finished, before adding, "normally we wouldn't let this happen but.." they paused for a second, now looking at me distastefully. "The future has much in store for the five of you, and it shouldn't be very fun or easy. Make your choice Zoe, you have until the end of the night, or we'll be back." They said, once again laughing maniacally, before then disappearing from the throne room.

The throne room erupted into chaos. Well it was mostly just Artemis cursing at Apollo about how his stupid oracle and its prophecy has ruined everything. I was getting tired of this so I threw a huge fireball into the hearth, where it immediately flared up, almost to the ceiling before being tamed within the hearth. This effectively shut everyone up.

I looked toward Zoe and gave her a small smile. "I'm sorry that you are no longer able to be Lieutenant, but at least you can stay in the hunt." I said encouragingly. She slowly nodded.

"Is there any other business to be discussed?" Zeus thundered. I cleared my throat loudly, "Umm I just request that Athena and Ares stay after the meeting is dismissed" I said gesturing to Annabeth and Clarisse. They both nodded with a smile. Zeus slammed his bolt into the floor as most of the Gods flashed out. It was just Athena, Ares, Poseidon, Zeus, Hestia, and Artemis.

I exchanged a few words with my father, and he told me to visit Atlantis soon, as I said I would. He disappeared in a flash and I turned to Zoe, explaining how I asked Nereus how to save her from the prophecy. She hugged me again before disappearing with Artemis.

Athena and Annabeth flashed away talking about architecture and the likes, at the same time Ares flashed himself and Clarisse away.

Zeus came up to me and Thalia and told us how proud of us he was. He then flashed us back to Camp Half Blood to get some rest. I reappeared alone in my cabin, and got an evil grin on my face. I disappeared in a flash of flames.

I reappeared in the middle of the Zeus cabin, only to be met with a squeal. This brought a smile to my face. She glared at me before looking at me expectantly. I rolled my eyes and nodded, telling her everything that had happened since she had been captured. I then asked her if I could see her bracelet for a second. She handed it to me curiously, as I examined it. Nearly identical to my own, except it was blue. I clipped something on it before returning it to her.

She looked at me weirdly as I rolled my eyes, telling her to pull on the little wave charm that sat right next to the flame charm. She did as I told her, and a sword appeared in her hand. She looked shocked, as I quickly told her it was a birthday gift from myself. She looked like she had totally forgotten about it.

I noticed she had a streak of grey in her hair now, probably from holding up the sky, knowing I probably had an identical one as well. I then explained to her, how multiple times on the quest I could've used a spear, but when it mattered against Atlas, I should've been more trained with it, hence the sword.

I then disappeared in a flash of flames, about to get some much needed rest.

 **Line Break**

(6 months later)

I woke up early, like I usually do, and got ready for my morning run. I thought back to the past few months. Camp wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. The quest to save Thalia and Artemis was exhilarating, and at first camp was fun, but it is just the same routine day after day.

I shook those thoughts from my head, I knew we were just in war preparation mode, and it was the calm before the storm, so we were training extra hard. I might as well go get Thalia for our run, I thought.

Thinking about Thalia brought a smile to my face. She had gotten pretty good with the sword, under my teaching style of course. I was after all the new sword fighting instructor at camp.

Me and Thalia had made many new friends, none more so than the son of Hades, Nico. The one that we rescued from the manticore all those months ago. At first, he was angry and upset about what happened to his sister, but then he realized it wasn't our fault, and he began to open up to us.

The three of us together were nearly unstoppable, all being children of the big three. We were the best fighters in camp and when we worked together, nothing could stop us. When we clashed though, you wouldn't want to get in the way. Just ask Annabeth, she still holds a grudge about the time she tried to stop us when we were arguing and fighting. She ended up in the infirmary for three days.

After me and Thalia went for our run, we went our separate ways. I left to shower and get ready for breakfast.

As I was getting changed I heard a knock on my cabin door. I sighed, and went to open it. I wasn't all that surprised to see Thalia, but I thought we had agreed to meet up in the mess hall for breakfast. I gestured her into the cabin where she took a seat on my bed.

"So, do you know what today is?" She asked me. I thought about it for a second, but my mind came up blank. I shook my head, "Nope, not a clue." I said.

She rolled her eyes, "it's your birthday today kelp head." When she said this my eyes widened. I hadn't even realized it, but it is my twelfth birthday. "Remember what you got me for my birthday?" she asked. I nodded so she continued, "well look at your bracelet." She finished. I was confused, but did as I was told.

I saw a little lightning charm sitting next to the flame charm. I was shocked, when had she done that. Upon seeing my look, she said, "I have my ways." I rolled my eyes at that, but decided to pull on the lightning charm anyway.

My eyes widened as it transformed into a spear which was perfect for me. I stared at her in disbelief before launching myself at her and pulling her into a hug.

"I remember when you talked about going toe to toe with Atlas, but your inexperience was almost your downfall, so I had the Hephaestus cabin make this and enchant it into a charm. I will train you with it until you can use it perfectly." She said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. I thanked her again before we left for the mess hall.

We decided to sit at my table today, since we all have to eat alone all the time, me Nico and Thalia always eat together at one of our tables.

All of a sudden Nico plopped down next to us, which was weird, because we usually won't see him until lunch time, as he was not a morning person whatsoever.

Thalia began teasing him about it as he just grunted in annoyance to her. I laughed silently at the two of them. My eyes drifted over to the Athena table, as I noticed Annabeth wasn't there. This was surprising, she never missed breakfast. I then noticed Clarisse was gone too. Something was up, and I intended to find out what it was.

I got up, and headed towards where Chiron and Mr. D were sitting. I heard Thalia and Nico calling after me questioning what I was doing but I ignored them.

I took a seat at the head table, where Chiron looked up at me with a smile, while Mr. D didn't even appear to have noticed my presence. I knew this was just part of his reputation though. I cleared my throat, "Chiron, where are Annabeth and Clarisse today? It's not like either of them to miss breakfast." I asked curiously.

This wiped the smile right off his face, "you're awfully observant my boy" he said before sighing, "yes, well, they left yesterday for the city on a quest to find an entrance to the Labyrinth. It is to be believed that the titan army will try to attack through one close to camp. However, we lost contact with them shortly after they ventured into the cursed maze." He said worriedly.

I looked at Chiron confused for a second, "Why didn't they just use the entrance in camp?" I asked questioningly.

He looked at me confused, "As far as anyone knows there isn't one, do you know of one?" he asked.

I nodded, "yeah, it is between a couple rocks in Zeus' fist. Me and Thalia stumbled upon it a couple months ago. I just figured you guys already knew about it." I said. Chiron paled at this. "That's not good, we will need to send a rescue party after them immediately." He said.

All of a sudden, a hunting horn could be heard, before a dozen girls in silver parkas being led by a twelve year old girl with auburn colored hair, could be seen at the top of the hill.

I smiled, the hunters were here. Chiron didn't seem to hold as much excitement as I did, for them being here.

Artemis, and her Lieutenant, Phoebe, as well as her former Lieutenant, Zoe, approached the head table that Chiron, Mr. D, and I were at, as the rest of the hunters went to go get settled into the Artemis cabin.

Chiron bowed respectfully as I engulfed Artemis in a hug. Just then Thalia came over pulling Artemis into a hug as well. These events made everyone in the mess hall look over in shock.

"I wish the reason for our visit was less serious, but alas it is not. Zeus was made aware that the titan army plans on using the Labyrinth to attack camp, so he ordered that we stay here until the battle, to help the defenses." She said before adding, "I will be splitting my time between here and Olympus, as I see fit."

Chiron nodded, "Perseus here has found an entrance in the rock formation called Zeus' fist. We are very thankful for your aid, my lady," he said going into a bow, she just waved him off.

Chiron walked to the center of the mess hall and got all of the camper's attention, "The hunters of Artemis will be staying here indefinitely" at this many groans were heard coming from many of the tables. He stomped his feet, effectively silencing them, "enough, they are to be treated with the utmost respect as they are our guests." He finished with a glare, looking around at every table.

"As usual, we will have a hunters, vs campers capture the flag game later tonight, which I expect you all to attend. We will be looking to break their undefeated record. That is all, now breakfast is over, and I believe you all have duties to be doing." He finished.

At this, Artemis turned to Perseus and Thalia with a smile, "Will you both show me where you found the entrance to the Labyrinth?" she asked. We nodded as we led her into the forest and towards Zeus fist.

"It's right in there, about five feet in" I said gesturing to this opening between a couple of rocks. She nodded as she squeezed through the tiny hole, and disappeared for a second, before reappearing a few moments later.

"It's clearly there, alright I will be leaving to report this to the council. This is more than likely where the titan army will be attacking from." She said. We nodded before she smirked at us, "I hope you guys are prepared for the capture the flag game later, as I will be joining my girls in the game." She said, making us both pale. She then flashed out, to report to the Olympian Council what she had learned.

We decided to head back to our cabins, and get ready to do our duties for the day. Which was basically just a lot of training and working.

I then went to find Zoe so we could catch up, before the capture the flag game later.

 **Line Break**

Me and Thalia were standing in front of all the demigods. Many refused to fight, already having bad experiences facing the hunters. That was fine by me. We still outnumbered them and had a decent shot at beating them.

"Alright, Artemis is going to be joining the hunters and I can only assume she will be coming after the flag, while the rest of the hunters defend their flag. So, I want Thalia and Nico to lead all of you to get the flag, while I stay here and defend the flag." I said.

Some people looked at me like I was crazy, so I clarified, "I don't have to beat Artemis, I just have to keep her occupied long enough, for you guys to take down the hunters and get their flag." I explained.

They nodded reluctantly at this, and got ready for the battle, knowing it would be a lot easier said than done. Chiron blew the conch horn, and Thalia, and Nico led the campers over the river and into hunter territory.

I sat perched in a tree, just waiting for what would surely be one of my toughest fights. All of a sudden Artemis broke into the clearing and began looking around. "Come out Perseus, I know you're here." She said. I decided to make my presence known by throwing a fireball less than a foot in front of her, making her jump back with a squeal.

I jumped down from the tree, holding my stomach as I was laughing, "Did I just hear the great goddess Artemis squeal?" I asked.

She scowled at me, "I was gonna take it easy on you, but after that, I don't think I will." She said with a smirk.

I scowled at that and tugged at the lightning charm, producing the spear Thalia had given me. Artemis looked shocked at the spear, obviously not expecting me to use it, and I knew I still hadn't gotten much training on it, but if need be I could always use tidal wave.

She brought out her hunting knives and immediately charged me sending a flurry of attacks my way. She was getting frustrated as every strike she sent my way was being blocked. I threw a small fireball at her, catching her off guard as she backed up a few feet to put the flames out. This gave me a few moments to regain my composure, as I took a few steps before hurling the spear at her.

When she noticed the spear, it was too late as it embedded deeply in her shoulder. She grunted as she pulled it out, and tossed it aside. She then pulled out her bow, making my eyes go wide. I quickly tugged on the flame charm on my bracelet as my shield spiraled out. Just in time too, as a volley of arrows bounced off harmlessly. I brought out tidal wave and clicked it into sword form as I knew that once this onslaught ended she would be right in front of me. When I heard the arrows stop, I didn't wait for her to attack as I stood up and threw my shield at her like a Frisbee, trying to catch her off guard, but she ducked just in time, as it soared right over her head.

I stood there panting, as she turned back to me and charged. I met her strike head on as neither one of us could land a blow. I blocked a strike that was aimed at my neck, before spinning away from a jab at my legs.

I lunged at her trying to overpower her, but I was having no success. I spun and slashed a small gash in her thigh making her growl, before she went on an all out attack. I was struggling to block all of her attacks before she tackled me to the ground. As I got up she stabbed me in the shoulder with her hunting knife, I grunted as I spun away and threw a huge fireball a few feet in front of the flag effectively creating a wall of fire between it and us.

She growled before turning to me and ripping the hunting knife out, before spinning it in her hand and slamming the hilt into my head. I crumbled to the ground, as I saw her struggle to put out the flames. When she finally did, she grabbed the flag and turned to race towards the boundary line, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Thalia standing there with the hunter's flag, and everyone looking at Perseus in shock. Artemis could be seen with a wound in her shoulder, and a wound on her thigh, both with golden ichor leaking out of them. I am sure I didn't look much better, as I knew my shoulder, as well as my head was bleeding.

I groaned as I sat up, "next time you get to guard the flag, and fight the man hating goddess, Thalia." I grumbled. This caused many people to laugh.

"For the first time ever the campers have defeated the hunters in capture the flag" Chiron announced, before Clarisse and Annabeth stumbled into the clearing, mumbling about Ariadne's string and the titan army. My eyes widened at that.

Chiron called for a council meeting that only involved Artemis, Thalia, Annabeth, Clarisse, and myself.

When we all arrived, we expected Annabeth and Clarisse to expound about what had happened in the Labyrinth, but both seemed too shaken to explain anything.

"Well the only thing that is clear at the moment is that the titan army is looking for Ariadne's string to navigate the maze to attack camp. We need to send a quest to try to find it first." He said looking at me.

I sighed, but nodded nonetheless as I headed upstairs to pay my good old friend the oracle a visit.

When I got up there I shivered remembering how creepy the thing is. I approached the oracle and didn't even have to ask anything before green mist came out of its mouth and surrounded me, before saying in the voice of Zoe Nightshade,

The children of the eldest gods and a hunter delve in the darkness of the endless maze

The banished, the traitor, and the two sisters raise

You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand

The child of Athena's final stand

Destroy with a hero's final breath

And lose a love to worse than death

 **A.N. Here's the next chapter. I know it was kind of a boring one but it's just setting up the next portion to come. Review, let me know how I can improve my writing. The poll will be open for one more chapter, It is now just piper, reyna, and zoe. I'm leaning towards Reyna, but if I can figure out a way to incorporate Zoe into it than im not against it**


	7. Chapter 6

_When I got up there I shivered remembering how creepy the thing is. I approached the oracle and didn't even have to ask anything before green mist came out of its mouth and surrounded me, before saying in the voice of Zoe Nightshade,_

 _The children of the eldest gods and a hunter delve in the darkness of the endless maze_

 _The banished, the traitor, and the two sisters raise_

 _You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand_

 _The child of Athena's final stand_

 _Destroy with a hero's final breath_

 _And lose a love to worse than death_

* * *

I cursed the oracle after hearing that. I sighed before going back down. Chiron looked at me expectantly, but I only said, "You might as well bring Nico and Zoe here as this will pertain to them as well" I said. He looked shocked at this, but had them brought here. Once they arrived I told them all the prophecy, making them pale.

"So, the quest will be Zoe, Nico, Percy, and myself?" Thalia asked. "Aren't quests usually three people though?" she finished.

"They usually are my dear, but special occasions call for more or less sometimes, and it clearly states four people in the prophecy." Chiron said sadly.

"Well, it is clear that the prophecy is referring to the four of us, so we should all pack our bags and be ready to go, first thing in the morning." I said solemnly.

They all nodded before getting up, presumably to get ready for the quest and go to bed.

"Zoe, stay back for a sec, I want to talk to you about something" I said. The others looked at me with questioning looks, but grudgingly left to do what I said.

When it was just the two of us left, I relaxed a little. When she gave me a questioning look, the only thing I did was put my hand in my pocket. I grabbed something and brought it out of my pocket, showing her. At seeing what it was, her eyes went wide. She was laying her eyes on her life string, the same one I took from the Fates many months ago.

She gasped, "You still have that Perseus?" She asked shocked. I nodded, "I didn't know what you would have wanted me to do with it and I never had the chance to tell you about it, so I just kept it with me." I explained.

She nodded with a smile, "I often wondered what happened to it, but I just thought the Fates must have just reclaimed it." She said.

I shook my head at that, "I wouldn't let those hags have your life string again, now that you know about it, what do you want to do with it?" I asked.

This made her smile even more, "Thank you so much Perseus, I think I have a perfect spot to keep it" She said mischievously.

I nodded, "alright, I'll give it to you, if you agree to call me Percy instead of Perseus." I said. She looked at me incredulously, "are you blackmailing me?" she asked. I only shrugged in response.

"Fine, I agree to your terms" she responded. I smiled and tossed her the string to her life. "So, let's see this perfect spot for it" I said. She only winked in response as she put her hand in her shirt and put it in her bra. I blushed at this, "Wow, that uhhhh, yeah, wow that's a good spot to keep it" I stuttered out.

She smirked at me, "I'll see you tomorrow Percy" she said, giving me one last wink before heading out. All I could do is shake my head. Real smooth, I thought to myself, as I disappeared in a flash of flames.

I reappeared in my cabin and walked out onto the deck by the lake. I just put my feet in the water and relaxed for a few minutes. Doing this always made me feel closer to my father. After just sitting there deep in thought, I splashed some water on my face to clear some of the thoughts I had, as I needed to be completely focused for tomorrow.

I got up and started getting my bag ready. I packed extra food and water, just in case Hestia's powers wouldn't work in the Labyrinth. I then grabbed some cash, and some drachmas', and then I grabbed a couple flashlights. I put a couple changes of clothes in my backpack, and then thought about what else I might need. I figured I had everything I needed as I zipped up my backpack, and decided to go to bed.

 **Line Break**

I awoke with a start. I looked at my clock and noticed it was still early. I decided I would go for a jog, and then take a swim in the lake before meeting the others by Zeus' fist.

As I was nearing the lake I realized that Zoe must have had a similar idea, as she was taking a dip in the pool as well. I decided I would try to scare her as I disappeared in a flash of flames.

I reappeared underwater, where I could see her in her bathing suit, which left little to the imagination. I blushed as I swam towards her, grabbed her ankle and yanked her down into the water.

I saw her eyes widen as she fought for what she thought was her survival as she kicked me relentlessly. I eventually had enough of her kicks, as I let go of her foot, and let her swim towards the surface for air.

After she caught her breath and noticed it was me, she punched me right in the face. I winced as I rubbed my now black eye, I looked at her in disbelief, "Did you really have to punch me?" I asked.

She scoffed at that, "Where did you come from, and how did you know I was here? Were you just stalking me?" She asked in disbelief.

I scowled at that, "If that's what you really think about me then I'll just leave now" I said angrily, before mist traveling away, making her eyes widen.

I reappeared in my cabin before grabbing my bag for the quest, and heading towards the arena. I grabbed a couple of the robotic automatons before heading out to the woods by Zeus' fist. I was going to get some practice in with my bow while I waited for my quest mates.

I fired arrow after arrow, each one meeting its mark, before eventually running out of targets to fire at. I heard a twig snap, and instinctively turned around and let loose an arrow.

I heard a gasp as an arrow flew right by the face of Zoe and embedded into the tree next to her.

"I wouldn't sneak up on me like that again, I could've killed you" I said as I sat down on the rock formation.

She sighed before sitting down next to me. We sat like that together in silence for a while, before she finally looked over at me, "Percy, you know I didn't mean it like that. I was just wondering how you knew I was there" She said.

I looked up at that, "I was doing my morning jog, when I neared the lake, and decided to go for a swim. That's when I noticed you, and decided to do that little prank" I said, "by the way, sorry about that" I added.

"It's okay, it just startled me" She said. I nodded in understanding. "Why were you taking a swim this morning?" I asked curiously.

She sighed before saying, "my mother was the sea goddess Pleione, but those powers were taken from me when I got disowned from my sisters. I do still feel at home in water though, which is why I was out there" she said.

I looked over at her in shock having no idea, "I'll get you your water powers back someday" I told her seriously.

She just nodded, knowing if I truly wanted something done, I'd get it done. We heard someone approaching and I knew it'd be Thalia, considering Nico was probably still in bed. I was right, as Thalia came into view and joined us on the rocks.

We sat around making small talk until Nico finally joined us.

"Nice of you to get out of bed Nicky" I said with a smirk. Zoe and Thalia cracked up at his look of absolute loathing.

"Whatever, where's this entrance supposed to be?" he snapped. I pointed between the two rocks and he went to search for the delta symbol. We all followed his lead.

I saw a little blue light in front of me, and noticed Nico disappear. I followed him and landed crouched on one knee, as Thalia and Zoe landed gracefully on their feet. We then noticed Nico face down on the floor, and burst into laughter.

He eventually made it to his feet, and threw each of us a glare. This just made us laugh louder though. We calmed down and I put a hand on his shoulder, "relax Nico, it's all in good fun" I said.

I started leading us down the passageway, not really bothering to navigate or anything, since it was just a straight shot at the moment. I turned back and noticed Zoe glaring daggers at Nico. I sighed, "Nico why don't you come up front with me" I said, making it more of a command, than a question. He nodded, and came up beside me without a word.

It continued like that for what could've been hours. We just kept walking straight, or taking a right or a left if we were met with one. Eventually I suggested that we break for lunch.

I didn't know if our powers from Hestia would work down here, so I figured I might as well just give it a shot. I thought about having pizza and clapped. A slice of pizza materialized in front of me. I grabbed it with a grin asking what Nico wanted, as Thalia conjured up food for herself and Zoe.

We sat like that for a little while, just resting up for the long quest ahead of us.

I got up, and gestured for them to follow my lead. We could sit around longer, but it wouldn't do any of us any good. We continued down the passageway for about an hour or so, before it led into a room that had two doors that appeared to be locked.

I walked up to the two doors, but jumped back and pulled out tidal wave and clicked it into sword form, as Thalia did the same with her spear. The others looked at us like we were crazy, but I just rolled my eyes at them as a being materialized in front of the doors. I didn't recognize the being, but figured it must have been a minor god.

I willed my sword on fire and stepped forward, "who are you?" I asked cautiously. The god only smiled before saying, "I am Janus, the god of doorways, and I am here with a proposition." He said, looking towards Zoe as he finished.

"Miss Nightshade, I am here to offer you a key to one of these doorways. One of them could lead you to revenge, but with that comes almost certain death. The other will lead you further away from finding Ariadne's string. Choose wisely" he said grinning.

She looked nervous before looking at all of us. Nico, and Thalia both looked unsure, but I knew what had to be done, so I gave her a nod of encouragement.

Steeling her nerves, she said, "I choose the key to the right door, the path of revenge, and" she gulped, "almost certain death" she stuttered out.

Janus laughed maniacally, "you fool, you have all but sealed you're fates" he said with a smirk. He snapped his fingers and the locks on the right door disappeared and the door opened up into a passageway identical to the one we had come from.

I growled at that, I hated when immortals thought they knew everything, "funny thing about fate" I said launching a fireball at him. He barely ducked in time, but still let out a girlish yelp as I finished, "it's meant to be defied."

I clicked tidal wave into pen form and summoned my spear. I then took a step forward before launching it at the god with unbelievable speed. He barely flashed away in time before it skewered him in the heart.

"Let's go" I said, not wanting to be in this room any longer. They all nodded and we hurried out the door.

We carried on like that for a while, just walking down the passageway. This quest so far had just been walking, and a conversation with a pesky minor god. I saw that the passageway curved to the right up ahead and figured that it was as good a time as any to rest for the night.

"Set up camp here, Thalia come with me to scout ahead and make sure we're all good. You two behave" I said pointedly looking at Zoe and Nico making them scowl.

Me and Thalia walked up ahead, and when we got to the curve in the passage I put up my hand, gesturing for her to stop. I summoned my spear and peeked around the corner. I cursed and turned back to Thalia.

"Well, now I know what that no good god meant about getting revenge" I said. Thalia looked at me curiously, but I just told her it's not my story to tell.

"It's Heracles" I said. "Here's the plan, he is currently guarding a couple of separate passageways. The two of us are going to go up there and try to reason with him and if that doesn't work, then we are going to attack him and let Zoe get her 'revenge', you up for that?" I asked, finishing with a smirk.

She got a wicked looking smirk on her face before nodding. We made our way towards him and I got furious thinking about what he did to Zoe. I almost hoped he denied us passage so we could teach him a lesson.

We walked right up to him, and he didn't even acknowledge us, so I cleared my throat loudly making him look up at us.

"What do you kids want" he said sneering at us. Thalia laughed, "Well brother dear, we need you to allow us and the rest of our quest mates passage through one of these ways" she said, saying brother like it was the biggest insult you could give someone.

He perked up at this, not noticing her condescending tone, "a daughter of Zeus huh, perfect. I'll allow your quest passage, but first I need you guys to complete a little task for me" he said smiling, as if it was the highest honor to have the great Heracles ask you to do something.

I growled, I wasn't going to be his little quest bitch, "hmm well, we're not going to be able to do that. Sorry Herc" I said, as if we were old friends or something.

He looked over at me, "you dare defy a god boy?" he asked me, trying to sound threatening. This caused me to burst into laughter. When my laughter finally died down I noticed that he was looking at me confused.

"You shouldn't have even been made into a god, since you cheated on your labors. Remember the golden apples. Do you even remember her name?" I asked getting angry.

He smirked, "She was just a silly hesperide, it was easy to get her to help" he said laughing. I threw a small ball of fire in his face. After he finally swatted it out he glared at me, "you got a death wish or something kid?" he asked me.

I laughed at that, "haha, it wouldn't be the first time, and look, I'm still going strong. What ever happened to that hesperide's sword that you took?" I asked. At this he brought it out, and I was shocked. It was an absolutely beautiful sword.

"I'll tell you what Herc, how about we fight, and if we win, you give us the sword, and if you win, which is highly unlikely, you can kill us" I said. He looked at me like I was a complete idiot.

"Alright, it's your funeral" he said taking out a huge club.

I pulled both the charms on my bracelet, as my shield spiraled out, and my spear materialized in my hand. Thalia clicked her pen transforming it into a spear. I smirked this would be fun.

I gave a few experimental jabs, but he blocked them all with his club.

He turned to Thalia, so I took advantage by running to him and throwing a hard punch into the side of his head.

This brought him to the ground, and as he struggled to his feet he looked at me shocked at the power behind the strike. I tried to stab him with the spear, but he blocked. That threw me off balance and before I could react he swung his club at me. I ducked behind my shield right in time, and right when it hit me I went flying. I crashed into the wall, and got back up to my feet quickly, sighing at having no visible injuries from that.

I looked over just in time to see Hercules knock Thalia's spear away and for his club to connect with her and send her flying into the wall, much like what happened to me, but she was unmoving. I sighed, she should've been using her shield.

I growled this wasn't working, I threw my spear as hard as I could and saw it embed in Heracles shoulder making his eyes widen. Then I threw my shield like a Frisbee at him, catching him in the gut and making him double over clutching his stomach. I launched a huge fireball at him, hitting him in the face and bringing him to the ground finally.

After that little combo, I took out tidal wave and clicked it into sword form. I then lit it on fire and tried to think of a plan as I knew I had bought myself some time.

I noticed there was some metal chains hanging on the wall and that gave me an idea as I ran over there. I then put my plan into action.

I grabbed the metal chain, noticing it didn't have too much length, so I'd have to lure him over. I got an idea, "Heracles, now I know why you were only made into a minor god, instead of a major god, since you're so weak" I said taunting him.

This did the trick as he started running towards me, I ran towards him as well, but dropped to the floor in a baseball slide. This tripped him up, sending him tumbling to the floor hard, as I went by. I quickly tied the chain to his ankle before he could get back to his feet. I backed up until I was out of his reach and threw a fireball onto his ankle, where it melted the metal into his skin, effectively trapping him for the time being.

When he noticed what happened he exploded, "GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW PUNY DEMIGOD" he seethed. I laughed, "no, I don't think so. I will take that sword now though" I said walking away.

I Picked up the sword, and it turned into a hairpin at my touch. I put it in my hair thinking that would garner a laugh from the huntress.

I went over to Thalia and checked on her. She was fine, just unconscious. I picked her up bridal style and headed back towards the others.

Upon seeing us Zoe rushed over, "what happened Percy?" she asked. I set Thalia down and covered her with a blanket, before I turned back towards Zoe and gestured to my hair. She gasped, "h..h..how" she stuttered out.

I smiled at her handing it back to her, "Heracles was blocking the passageways, so we gave him a chance to let us go by, but he refused, so we fought. He knocked Thalia out, and then I trapped him and grabbed anaklusmos and came back here" I said out of breath.

I saw her look and added, "Don't worry he's still there, so let's go pay him a visit, we can make camp over there as well" This seemed to spark something in her as I saw a look of absolute glee in her eyes.

I told Nico to wait for Thalia to awaken, then pack up and join us. He nodded and I led Zoe over. Heracles was right where I left him, trying to pull his ankle free from the chain that was melted into his skin, causing him immense pain. When Zoe realized how I trapped him she smirked.

"Hey Heracles I'm back, and I brought a friend" I said gesturing to Zoe. "Long time no see Heracles" she said happily.

I pulled on my necklace as a bow appeared on my back. I saw that Heracles was just standing against the wall, so I fired two flaming arrows at him. They both connected effectively taking his arms out of the equation. He had an arrow in each hand now, as not even with his godly strength could he pull his hands free.

"Watch out for his legs, but otherwise have fun" I said throwing her a wink. She smirked and grabbed her hairpin as it elongated into a sword.

The first thing she did was flip it around in her hand and swing it with all her might. It connected with Heracles skull, knocking him out.

She then pulled out her hunting knives and made a couple dozen deep cuts on his stomach before walking over to me. "Heat the blade up please" she said. I did as I was told, and then she walked back over and pressed the flat of the blade to Heracles chest for a couple seconds. I could hear his skin sizzling from all the way over here. I walked over to see her handiwork. On his stomach read, "ZOE'S BITCH" and on his chest, "anaklusmos" was seared into his skin.

I chuckled at that. I turned to her, and she just launched herself at me, pulling me into a deep hug, and thanked me over and over. "Oooh what did I miss?" Thalia asked raising an eyebrow.

I smirked at her, "haha not much, just enjoying some time with Heracles" I said. "Anyway, set up camp here, I'll take first watch" I said. They all nodded, as they began setting up their beds. I decided to take my bow off my back and give Heracles another gift as I shot two flaming arrows into his family jewels. I winced, not even wanting to think about that anymore.

I looked around noticing they were all sleeping now. I sighed, taking a seat against the wall, knowing it was going to be a long night.

 **Line Break**

I decided that they had slept enough, so I woke them all up. "Why didn't you wake one of us up to take watch so you could sleep?" Thalia asked.

I shrugged, "I wasn't tired, besides, it looked like you guys needed sleep more than I did" I said. She looked a little upset at this, "Percy, you can't always protect all of us, and we don't need you to. We are all on this quest, you don't have to take the brunt of everything all the time" She said.

I sighed, "I know, and you're right. Which is why we're splitting up from here" I said shocking everyone here. "I figured me and Zoe would go down the right passage, while you and Nico go down the left passage. We have no idea where Ariadne's string is, and it would be best to split up. I'll go with Zoe, as she's older and it'll be tougher for her to keep up so I'll help her out" I said, finishing with a smirk.

They nodded at that cracking a smile at the end. I gave Thalia a hug, and Nico a fist bump, before they disappeared down the left passage. I turned to Zoe and gulped. "I told you to stop talking about my age" she said glaring at me.

I nodded, "sorry, it's just too good to pass up on sometimes" I said smirking. I then jogged ahead down the right passage to put a little distance between us. I eventually let her catch up, and we walked steadily like that for about an hour.

All of a sudden we saw two dark haired girls turn the corner and start walking towards us.

 **A.N. There's the next chapter. I won't be following the plot of the books as much as I did for the titans curse. I think I'm just going to follow Percy and Zoe on the quest but I'm not sure yet. Anyway, I bet none of you know who those girls are that they are about to run into. Review and let me know what you thought of the chapter.**


	8. Chapter 7

**A.N. I know it has been a couple weeks since I have updated and I apologize for that. I was sick for a while, and had a lot of school work to do. I also didn't know what direction I wanted to take this story, I feel like I need to develop it a bit more, not just jump from quest to quest, so I will be starting to do that in the next few chapters. Obviously after this quest is done, anyway, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

 _I nodded, "sorry, it's just too good to pass up on sometimes" I said smirking. I then jogged ahead down the right passage to put a little distance between us. I eventually let her catch up, and we walked steadily like that for about an hour._

 _All of a sudden we saw two dark haired girls turn the corner and start walking towards us._

I got my pen out, but they looked fairly harmless. The one girl looked to be about my age, and I would be lying if I said she didn't take my breath away. She had piercing black eyes, and glossy black hair worn in a single braid. She had the look of a warrior and it was stunning. I shook my head of those thoughts though. Her sister looked about the same except a few years older.

I clicked my pen into sword form as Zoe brought out anaklusmos. Both girls brought out swords of their own, and we appeared to be at a stalemate.

"Who are you?" I asked suspiciously. Two demigods walking alone in the Labyrinth was very suspicious, especially as I didn't recognize them. They could be with the Titan army.

The younger one was the one to speak, "I am Reyna, and this is my older sister Hylla. Our mother led us here, and told us to find our way to California" she said putting her sword down. Her sister wasn't as quick to trust us as she kept her sword up, prepared to fight at a moments' notice.

"I'm Perseus, and this is Zoe" I said gesturing to Zoe before continuing, "Unless you have joined the titans we are not your enemy" I finished with a small smile. I clicked tidal wave back into pen form as a gesture of good faith.

Hylla stepped forward this time, "We are not, we simply are just trying to find our way." She finally put her sword away, as Zoe reluctantly did the same.

I nodded, "Well we should be getting on our way then, of course you are welcome to accompany us and we can help each other find what we are looking for" I said as Zoe shot me a glare.

I ignored it and waited for their response. They talked quietly between themselves for a few moments before turning to us and nodding. "We will travel with you, but I will be keeping my eye on the both of you" She said pointedly looking towards Zoe.

She threw her a glare and was about to retort when I said, "I swear on the river styx that as long as you don't attack us, we won't harm you" I said quickly, as thunder rumbled above.

She nodded looking relieved. "What are you guys looking for anyway?" The younger one, Reyna asked.

"We are looking for Daedalus' workshop so we can find Ariadne's string before the titan army does" I saw their looks of doubt and quickly added, "I'm not sure how, but he is in fact still alive, somewhere down in this maze" I said.

They both looked doubtful, but nodded anyway. I began to lead us down the corridor and Reyna fell into step next to me. Zoe and Hylla brought up the rear. It was clear that they still didn't trust each other yet.

Me and Reyna made small talk as we walked. I learned she was a daughter of Bellona, as well as her sister. I didn't recognize the name, so I figured she must be a minor goddess. I told her I was a son of Poseidon and she looked at me weirdly. She asked if I meant Neptune, which confused me, but I just shrugged it off. I shook my head, and she looked at me confusedly. We both decided to just ignore it for the time being.

"Hey why don't we stop for lunch real quick" I said as everyone nodded, and we sat down; me and Reyna sitting against one wall, while Hylla and Zoe occupied the other.

"Alright what does everyone want?" I asked. Reyna and Hylla looked at me weirdly while Zoe said she just wanted a turkey sandwich. I clapped and the sandwich appeared in front of Zoe making the two sisters eyes widen.

"I am the champion of Hestia" I said with a smile, "This just happens to be one of the perks."

They both told me what they wanted and I conjured it for them. I then conjured up myself a plate of pasta.

We ate in silence mostly, Reyna asking me a few questions about being Hestia's champion. Zoe glared at her everytime she opened her mouth. I didn't really understand that, but I wisely kept my mouth shut. I liked the two sisters. Zoe on the otherhand, really didn't seem to enjoy their company.

I then lit my hand on fire. Reyna and Hylla looked at me in amazement. "This was the other main power I got from Hestia. She has the power to heal as well as to harm. I got power over fire, and my sister, Thalia, who is also down here got the power to heal" I told them. They looked at me in awe.

All of a sudden we heard footsteps coming this way. I jumped to my feet quickly. I then pulled out my pen and clicked it. It immediately elongated into sword form and I lit it on fire. Three demigods turned the corner as well as a dozen monsters or so. My companions jumped to their feet, and as soon as the demigods saw us they pulled out their weapons.

Zoe pulled out her bow, and Reyna and Hylla both took out their swords. I threw a fireball into the demigods, disorienting them, before charging at the monsters.

I ducked a cyclops' club, and kicked a lunging hellhound back. I did a one eighty and sliced my sword across the cyclops throat before it could react. I turned back towards the hellhound to see an arrow lodge into its eye, immediately turning it into dust. I gave a nod of appreciation to Zoe before jumping back in.

I charged towards two dracanae, sidestepping the spear of one. I grabbed the spear wrenching it from the hands of the dracanae before turning to the other and cracking it over its head. The spear broke in half on impact and I quickly turned around stabbing the half spear into the heart of the dracanae that still looked disoriented from having its weapon taken so easy.

I turned back around and quickly brought my sword across the neck of the remaining one, effectively dislodging its head from its body.

I looked around and saw Zoe covering us, while also managing to take out a few unsuspecting monsters. I saw Hylla stab a hellhound before being locked in combat with a laistrygonian giant. I then noticed Reyna was surrounded by the three enemy demigods. She was holding her own, but I could tell she was getting tired, and would soon be overrun.

I clicked riptide into pen form, and summoned my spear. I saw the one behind her raise his sword arm ready to make the killing blow. I heard Hylla call out to her in alarm, but it was too late. I did the only thing I could think of. I threw my spear with all my might. It embedded in his hand, making him cry out in pain, and drop his sword.

Reyna turned around, startled by the cry of pain behind her. I gulped and quickly pulled on my bracelet. My shield appeared and I wasted no time disappearing in a flash of flames.

I reappeared to the left of Reyna, and threw all of my weight into her, knocking her to the floor, while simultaneously raising my shield.

A loud clang was heard, and the force of the swing brought me to the ground hard. The enemy demigod looked to be in a shocked stupor. He thought he was about to kill the girl, but instead only hit a boy's shield.

I wasn't going to relive the whole saving Zoe, and getting stabbed thing, so I was glad that worked. I quickly got to my feet, taking advantage of the few seconds I got, as the enemy demigod was still in a stupor.

I rushed forward and bashed the demigod in the face with my shield. His nose erupted in blood, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I turned around just in time to block a strike with my shield from the third demigod that I had forgotten about. His eyes widened as I clicked tidal wave and slashed a deep gash in his side. He retreated a few steps.

I turned back around and sliced my sword through the throat of the demigod that I just bashed in the face. He fell to the floor dead, and I heard a gasp from over in Hylla's direction.

I didn't have time to think about that as I turned around, and saw the kid I just slashed in the side approaching Reyna. She was still on the ground, clutching her right arm, which was bent at an unnatural angle.

I charged the demigod and slammed into him with my shoulder, sending him to the ground. Reyna looked over shocked to see me…again.

I kicked the demigods weapon away and brought my sword to his throat.

Hylla gave a shout of protest as she finished off the monsters, but I ignored it.

"Surrender to us, and swear eternal loyalty to Olympus" I said in a dangerous tone.

"You don't have to do this Perseus" Hylla called, hurrying over with Zoe.

I spared a glance over about to retort, but the demigod cut me off, "I'll never swear loyalty to the Olympians. I'm nobodies pawn" he said defiantly. That's all I needed to hear as I brought my sword across his neck, decapitating him instantly.

I turned to the last demigod, who lay on the ground whimpering with a spear halfway through his hand. I kicked him in the side, and pulled him to his feet. I dragged him over and threw him in front of Hylla's feet.

"What would you have us do with him then. I obviously don't like killing demigods, but it's us or them." I said angrily. I then turned to Reyna and saw her looking at me with wide eyes. I swallowed and pulled two zip ties out of my bag. I zip tied the demigod's hands behind his back as well as his feet. I then gagged him.

"There, he will be spared. I will not apologize for doing what I did though. They could've escaped and then killed us later. I can promise you that they will not show you the same mercy that you were prepared to show." I said looking Hylla in the eyes.

"Percy is right" Zoe said. "Although I don't like it, it was the smart thing to do. He gave them a chance to surrender and swear allegiance, but they refused" Zoe said agreeing with me.

I gave her a nod before walking over and kneeling by Reyna. I handed her some ambrosia. She ate it and her arm slowly realigned itself. She gave me a nod of thanks.

I pulled her to her feet and gestured for them to follow me. I led them through the maze once more.

We walked for about an hour, mostly in an uncomfortable silence, before I heard something rumble next to me. I looked around expecting something to attack, but then realized it was just Reyna's stomach growling.

"Alright, let's stop and get something to eat. We can make camp for the night as well" I said setting my pack down. They all nodded and followed suit, setting up a little area. I took out an old shirt and put it in the center. I then threw a fire ball into it setting it ablaze, creating a campfire to keep us warm for the night.

I looked over at Hylla to see her limping. I noticed a deep gash in her leg. I immediately felt bad about rushing us off so quick.

I walked over to her and took a knee. "Sorry about rushing us off so quick, that looks pretty deep" I said gesturing to her cut. She shrugged so I asked, "Do you mind if I heal it?"

She looked over curiously, "I thought your sister was the one who could heal?" she asked. I nodded and clapped, conjuring about ten cups of water, "yes, she is, and it is much more effective than what I can do. I can heal you with water though, being the son of Poseidon" I said. She just gave me a small nod as I got to work.

I willed all the water out of the cups, and had it hover in the air, before putting one hand to her leg, and the other in the water that was hovering in the air. Slowly it traveled from my arm over to her leg and began to heal her.

"Look I'm sorry about earlier. I don't ever want to kill demigods, and I really respect that you were against it, but this is war. They made their choice. I could not have them coming back later on, and killing one of us. I would never forgive myself" I said as her leg was finally healed. The only thing left behind being a small scar on her thigh.

She nodded and sighed, "No, I understand Perseus, it's just hard to see you take someone else's life" she said sadly.

I nodded in understanding. I got up to leave, but she grabbed my wrist. I looked at her questioningly, but she just gave me a small smile, "thanks for healing me, and thanks for saving my sister. I thought I was about to lose her and she is all I have in the world" she said with gratitude shining in her eyes.

"It was nothing, and I would do it again. I don't let my friends get hurt if I can do something about it. Besides, ask Zoe about our last quest, this one ended a lot better than the last one" I said giving her one last smile before walking over towards Zoe.

I knelt by her, asking her if she had any injuries. She shook her head no, so I let her get back to setting up her little tent.

I went over to my area and started setting up. I laid down a blanket, and put my pack at the end of it, as I would be using that as a pillow. I then clapped and conjured a little buffet for us all to eat.

I got a plate and took a seat on my blanket.

I heard someone sit down and expected to see Zoe, but was surprised to see Reyna. The first thing she did was crawl over and pull me into a hug, shocking me. She pulled away after a minute blushing. "Um sorry about that, I just wanted to say thanks. You know, for saving me twice" she said with a small smile.

I nodded, "It was nothing, were friends now, and I don't let my friends get hurt" I said making her smile even more.

"And thanks for healing me too. You're different than I expected you to be, being a child of the big three and everything" she said looking over at me seriously, "and you know, you're the only friend I've ever had, it's always just been me and Hylla, so thank you" she said blushing again.

I gave her a smile, "You're one of the only friends I've ever had too. I don't know how much I'll see you after this, since you're going to California. I promise though, that eventually, be it soon, or in ten years, we will meet again" I said seriously.

She nodded, and we finished our food in a comfortable silence. When we finished I volunteered to take first watch. They agreed, and Zoe shot me a glare, probably warning me that I better wake her up this time.

I nodded, and they all drifted off to sleep.

After a few hours I shook Zoe, and she took over watch. I laid down and fell asleep as soon as my head hit my makeshift pillow.

After a few hours, we were shaken awake by Zoe. We packed all of our supplies up and began back down the corridor.

We walked for a few hours, and only came across a few monsters. We took care of them easily enough though. We eventually came to a fork in the path. I looked down the right path, then looked down the left and noticed an eerie orange glow.

"Left it is" I said heading down there. They didn't look as sure.

"How can you be sure?" Hylla asked. I shrugged, "I am getting this feeling from this path, like we are meant to take it" I said continuing on down. They had no choice but to follow me.

After walking for about twenty minutes we came to a doorway. All I could hear was the hammering of metal on the other side. I looked at my companions and shrugged, pushing the door open.

The girls all dropped down into a bow, while I just smirked, "Cousin, it's been awhile."

 **Line Break (Thalia's POV)**

Being separated from Percy and Zoe sucked. First, it was so awkward with just Nico. Then we found this demigod with an eyepatch wandering around and defeated him. Only he wasn't alone apparently. There was a group of demigods, and monsters that brought us to this big arena. There was bones littering the stands everywhere, as well as monsters of every kind. I had just seen a centaur get destroyed, and now Nico is being forced to fight. I am completely useless to help though because Luke locked me up in cage. He wants to impress Antaeus to gain passage. Over my dead body, I thought.

Nico killed the cyclops quickly, but this just enraged Antaeus. He said it had to be slower.

So out came the demigod with the eyepatch that we defeated earlier. They went back and forth for a while, before Nico had him on the ground with his sword to his throat. He looked over to Antaeus, who had a thumbs down. Nico turned to me and winked. He then flipped his sword around and swung it into the demigod's head. He crumbled to the floor unconscious, enraging Antaeus.

Antaeus was just yelling shouts at Nico before being interrupted, "how about you come down here and fight me yourself then" Nico shouted to the giant son of Gaia and Poseidon.

He laughed, "It is beneath me to fight a puny mortal like you, maybe I will have Luke kill you instead" he said confidently.

Nico just laughed making everyone think he had gone insane, "hahaha figures. I knew you wouldn't fight me yourself. You're just going to sit up there on your fat ass, because you know you can never lose if you never fight" Nico said taunting the giant.

This enraged the giant, "fine, if you win you can have passage out of here, but if I win, I get to kill you and your companion" he said with a sadistic grin.

Nico charged at him and they went back and forth for a few minutes. Eventually Nico got behind Antaeus and stabbed him hilt deep in the calf. Sand leaked out of the cut, and almost instantly the Earth came up and covered the cut. It receded back down and the cut was gone, as if it had never been there.

"Now don't you see why I never lose. Foolish demigod, I am the son of Gaia, the Earth will always heal me" he bolstered. I saw Nico gulp.

It continued on like that; Nico would get a good stab, or slash, and Antaeus would just get healed.

I saw shadows begin to form and smiled as I realized what Nico was doing. Eventually the shadows wrapped around the giant's hands and feet suspending him in the air.

"What is this!" Antaeus shouted, "Put me down!"

"Get him down, he is our host" Luke shouted indignantly. Nico ran over, and cut the celestial bronze chains on my cage. I ran out and pulled on my necklace. My bow appeared in my hand, and I told Nico to finish Antaeus.

He nodded and grabbed a chain from the ceiling and swung over to Antaeus. He dodged the giant's attempts to grab him and slit his throat. Nico jumped to the ground and watched as Antaeus neck let out sand, except this time the Earth didn't come to heal him. He eventually disintegrated.

The arena was in absolute chaos now. Monsters running around everywhere. Nico called to me to follow him, and get out of here. I nodded, but turned to Luke. He seemed to still be in shock. I notched a lightning arrow and fired it.

I was shocked at what I saw. It should've gone into Luke's heart and killed him, instead it connected and just bounced off his chest harmlessly. The lightning blast at least threw him backwards into the wall, but I didn't have too much time to think about what I just saw. I caught up to Nico and we booked it out of there.

We ran for a solid hour before taking a break. Right as we sat down a huge explosion was heard and it felt like an earthquake. It felt like the whole Labyrinth was about to come down, and I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

 **Line Break (Percy POV)**

The man looked over and smiled, "Ahh Perseus, I was wondering when you would show up" he said smiling and walked over. Well more like limped over since he was crippled and had a leg brace on.

I shook Hephaestus' hand and they all looked at me shocked. "yeah, I grew up on Olympus, so I have trained with all of the Olympians" I said sheepishly.

Reyna and Hylla looked at me shocked, as if they expected me to start laughing like it was a joke. When I didn't, they looked at me jealously.

"Perseus, your father has asked that I make a little modification to your weapons. Let me see your bracelet, necklace, and pen" he said. I looked shocked at this, but handed them over anyway.

"It was actually Zeus' idea, he wanted me do it for Thalia's as well, but it appears she isn't here. I guess you guys split up. Anyway, it will take a little while to complete this, so I have something for you all to do until it is finished" he said cautiously.

He told us how he thinks Kronos' minions are using his forge and how they always smell him coming, but they wouldn't smell us. I nodded in understanding, and I told him we would check it out and report back.

"I believe you are both heading to California right?" he asked, turning to Reyna and Hylla. When they nodded he continued, "I will transport you both there now, as a favor to Perseus" he said shocking them.

Reyna looked like she was about to argue so I interrupted her, "Thank you cousin" I said before turning to Reyna, "we'll be okay. You guys have helped enough, and I don't want you guys in more danger. I promise we will meet again someday" I said smiling.

Reyna rushed over with a tear in her eye and engulfed me in a hug. The last thing I ever expected her to do happened next. She kissed me. It lasted only a second, but it was incredible. It was my first kiss. "Thank you for everything Percy" she said with a blush.

I nodded with a smile, also blushing. She walked over by Hephaestus, and I noticed Zoe throwing her a glare. I didn't have time to think about that as Hylla pulled me into a hug. "Don't worry I won't kiss you" She said with a smirk, before composing herself. "Thank you for everything, and you better keep that promise" She said seriously, looking me directly in the eye.

I just nodded. She walked back over to her sister and they disappeared in a flash.

"Here is a mechanical spider. It will lead you to the forge. Once you get there click the button on the bottom, then when you're finished click it again and it will bring you back" Hephaestus said handing it to me.

I just stood there waiting. He looked at me questioningly, and I just face palmed. "Umm, yeah, you have all of my weapons and it would be nice to have something to defend myself with" I said with a smile.

He gave me an apologetic look before tossing me a spear. I nodded, and the spider jumped out of my hand and scurried away. We had no choice but to follow it.

It moved at a pretty quick pace so we were at a constant jog.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Zoe asked. I nodded that she could. "What would you think if I asked Thalia to join the hunters?" she asked like she already knew the answer.

I sighed, "Well, in any other scenario I would be happy for her to join if she wanted to. I mean, it is ultimately her choice, but I just ask that you wait until after this war to ask her" I said pausing, "the prophecy says we can succeed if we both work together to defeat Kronos, but if she stops aging then I am afraid it might not work out in our favor" I said looking over at her.

She just nodded, expecting something like that. "I think she would be happy to join though, after it is all over I mean" I said giving her a smile.

She nodded and we skidded to a halt. The spider had stopped which meant we had arrived. I picked it up and clicked the button. It rolled itself into a ball.

We crept inside Mt. St Helens and did our best to stay hidden. Man was it hot in there though. I saw telekhines moving around so we quickly moved onto this catwalk and ducked behind a cart. They went by unsuspectingly, talking about some scythe.

We crept further and ducked behind another cart. I looked out from behind it and saw about a dozen of them all gathered around what looked like a stick. No, not a stick, it was a scythe. It must be Kronos' scythe.

Zoe seemed to come to the same conclusion that I did and we ducked back behind the cart.

I turned to her, "Alright, I'll stay here and take care of that weapon, you go back and warn Hephaestus" I said. She glared at me and was about to respond, but I cut her off, "No Zoe, this is how it is going. If something happens Hephaestus will never know. I can take care of myself. You go warn him. This is the only way" I said harshly.

She looked taken aback, but then glared at me, "You better not die" she growled out. She pulled me into a hug, before clicking the spider and hurrying off in the opposite direction.

I sighed, having no idea how I could pull this off. I disappeared in a flash of flames and reappeared right next to the one with the scythe.

They gasped, and I quickly stabbed the one holding the scythe with the spear and it turned into monster dust. I disappeared again, and reappeared about ten yards away, feeling drained of energy.

"An intruder. Hmm a son of Poseidon it appears. I wonder if his daddy can protect him" One of them said smiling mischievously.

I just looked confusedly at them. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I stepped forward and chucked the spear at the one that had said that to me. Unfortunately, it ducked, but two of its comrades weren't as lucky as it went right through one, and into another one behind it.

I cursed, and looked up as it spoke again, "Let us see if your daddy protects you. Let us see if you burn" he said with a smirk as he scooped up a handful of lava and threw it at me.

I dropped the scythe. The lava felt cool against my body at first, then started to become warmer. It was nothing I couldn't handle though thanks to Hestia's blessing. The other telekhines followed his example and all started pelting me. I'm sure the only reason I was still alive was because I was a son of Poseidon, as well as a champion of Hestia. More so the latter probably. At this point it started getting a little hot. I guess Lava wasn't exactly in her domain. They kept pelting me and there was nothing I could do.

I started backing up and at this point the lava was starting to burn a little. I was backed up to the edge when I got an idea. I picked up the scythe and prepared to charge when a rock was thrown at me instead of lava. It hit me in the shoulder and surprised me. I took a step back to compose myself, but tripped on the wheel of the cart.

The next thing I know I was free falling towards the Lava. Wow real heroic, I thought, get hit with a rock and fall into a volcano. When I made contact with it, it was as if I was fired from a cannon, out of the volcano, and into my uncle's domain. That's when everything went black.

 **A.N. So there is chapter 8. The girls were Reyna and Hylla! And I gave you a little Percy/Reyna but she won't be back around until later in the story, or maybe a sequel if I decide. I'm not sure. I decided to do a little Thalia POV, and they were the one's who got captured and brought to the arena this time. I'm having Hephaestus do something different with their weapons because I got an idea that is a little different and I really like it. Also the poll is now closed, so let me know what you all think of this chapter. The next one should come shortly.**


	9. Chapter 8

**A.N. I updated the previous chapter of a mistake that** _ **Death Fury**_ **kindly pointed out to me, so if you haven't seen the change, make sure you reread the end of last chapter before reading this one.**

 **(Zoe POV)**

I was following the spider back down the corridor to Lord Hephaestus' workshop when I heard a huge explosion and the corridor shook. I wanted to run back and look for Percy, to make sure he is okay, but I knew that he had to have caused that. I just hoped he survived. I hurried to catch up to the spider so I wouldn't be left behind. Not too long later I arrived back to the door and entered to see Thalia and Nico in there talking to Lord Hephaestus.

"When did you guys get here?" I asked Thalia. Completely out of breath from following that cursed spider.

"Not too long ago, I was just waiting for Hephaestus to give me my new weapons along with Percy's, and then we were going to come find you guys. Where is he anyway?" She asked looking at me questioningly.

I gulped as Lord Hephaestus walked over and handed Thalia hers and Percy's new enchanted weapons that would still always return to them if they lost them. "He umm, well we saw them there, Lord Hephaestus, we found a few telekhines with a scythe that we believe to be your grandfathers" I said gauging their reactions. After not seeing much I continued,

"He demanded I return here and tell you of what is happening there, while he destroys the weapon" at this I winced, "a few minutes after I left him I heard an explosion and the whole corridor shook. I wanted to go back, but I remembered what he told me. That no matter what, I would get back here and tell you what was happening" I finished out of breath.

Lord Hephaestus grunted, and then said, "that boy has a lot of power, I hope he hasn't done too much damage." He looked to be in deep thought for a moment.

"Anyway, he will come back, although it might take a while. From what you said Miss Nightshade he could've been launched pretty far away, and it could be awhile before he has enough strength to teleport back to camp. Make sure to listen to young Nico in the future, and make sure the campers do as well. Now I will teleport you all back to camp half-blood" he said, as he snapped his fingers and we disappeared in a flash.

We reappeared in the woods of camp half-blood and I walked off with Thalia, both talking about our journey in the Labyrinth while separated.

 **Line Break**

It had been a few days since we got back and Chiron wanted to burn Percy's shroud and send us back in the Labyrinth. Nico said that Percy wasn't dead though and I usually didn't believe boys, but Lord Hephaestus said to trust Nico, so I would…for now.

Lady Artemis didn't want me going back in the Labyrinth, especially after losing Percy, but I knew I had a duty to uphold. All of a sudden I got this weird feeling, like something was about to happen.

My eyes widened and I turned around. What I saw made me gasp.

 **Line Break (Percy POV)**

I knew something was wrong. This bed was much too comfortable to be my crummy old bunk in cabin three. I peeked an eye open and saw I was in some cave. I then noticed a cup of water, hovering in the air, as if by some invisible force. No, not a force, an invisible person.

All of a sudden a beautiful girl about my age walked in. She looked oddly familiar and I gasped. I recognized her, she looked just like Zoe. That must mean one thing. I am on Ogygia.

She came over and felt my head, but I reached up and grabbed her hand. She looked startled at first, but I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You're alright?" she asked giving me the glass of water.

I nodded grabbing the water and splashing it on my face. She looked shocked at this, as I immediately felt some of my strength return to me. I then conjured a cup of water and drank this one, since my throat was so dry. I turned back to her to see wide eyes.

I smiled, "I am Hestia's champion. That is one of the perks of the job" I said trying to sit up. I grimaced, I wasn't fully healed. She lunged forward and helped support me. "Take it easy, you've been out for three days" she said worriedly.

What? Three days? What about the quest. That's when it all came back to me. Meeting Reyna and Hylla, stumbling upon Hephaestus, traveling to the forge, the telekhines throwing lava at me, and then being fired out of the volcano.

I looked at my arms to see them just slightly pink. I smiled as Hestia had surely been the only reason I survived back there. I decided to try to stand up. Bad idea. I fell to a knee, before the girl rushed forward and helped support me.

She slowly helped me outside and over to the beach. I sat in the water, letting the waves rejuvenate me, before turning to her, "you're Calypso right?" I asked. "And this is Ogygia?"

She looked shocked at first, "yeah, I am, and yes, this is my prison" she said sadly. "How did you know?"

"I was raised on Olympus, Athena taught me and my sister in blood everything, including your story….I'm sorry about all this by the way. Not only just being stuck out here, but also for Aphrodite always sending males that cannot stay on your island. Ones that you fall in love with and they have prior duties to get back to. I am sorry, but I must leave soon. I would love to stay here and get to know you, but, I couldn't do that to you. You don't deserve it" I said looking at her seriously. I took one of her hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

She looked over at me in bewilderment that I knew so much. She looked almost sad, "Oh please stay for a little while, just until the end of the day at least please? It is nice to have company, even if you can't stay" she asked pleadingly.

I nodded that I would making her smile.

"So, tell me about this quest that you were on, and why is it so important. Also, who are Zoe and Reyna, I have a sister named Zoe?" she asked giving me a wink. I looked over at her shocked, "You talk in your sleep" was her only reply.

I sighed, "well Reyna was this girl I met in the Labyrinth, she was incredible, but we had to part ways. Right before she left she kissed me. It was my first kiss and I still don't know what to think about it" I said. She looked over at me knowingly.

I glared at her before continuing, "Yeah, well I just hope I see her again sometime" I said before perking up, "the Zoe I was talking about was your sister" I finished trying to garner her reaction.

She looked at me disbelievingly, "My sister hates boys" she said in a matter of fact tone.

I smirked, "oh yeah, believe me I know. She's pretty cool though, and we're pretty good friends. I went on a quest with her last year and saved her life, and I am currently on a quest with her. Well, was on a quest with her before I blew myself up" I said ashamed.

She told me not to worry about it, "Well I'm glad she has a friend like you watching her back. Will you give her my best regards when you get back?" she asked hopefully.

I nodded smiling. We spent the remainder of the afternoon talking about my stay on Olympus, and my first quest and a half. Eventually the sun started setting and I knew I had to get back. She brought her magic raft around. She told me as soon as I passed the magic borders of Ogygia I could think of where I wanted to go and it would bring me there.

I got on the raft and looked at her, "I will get you off of this island someday" I told her seriously.

She shook her head, "no, I have a pull within the council, I promise I will get you out of here, I swear it on the styx" I said cutting her off as thunder rumbled ahead. She looked shocked, but smiled at me. She gave me a kiss on the cheek before walking away.

Lake at camp half-blood, I thought. Bring me home. As soon as I felt that I had passed the magic barriers though, I mist traveled back.

I appeared on the beach and there was no one around. I began walking and didn't see anyone until I got to the amphitheater. I saw a familiar head of black hair and tried sneaking up on her. She clearly sensed me though as she turned around and gasped.

I just smirked at her. She pulled me into a hug and I whispered to her, "your sister says hi."

She pulled away looking betrayed before slapping me across the face.

I looked at her in disbelief for a second. I then steeled myself, "well I was going to tell you everything that happened, but since you already know, don't even bother coming to the council meeting" I said scowling at her.

I turned away and disappeared in a flash of flames. I reappeared in the middle of the dining pavilion, as everyone's shocked eyes turned to me. "Council meeting in fifteen minutes" I said before flashing away to the big house, not wanting to talk to anyone yet.

It was only a few minutes before Thalia ran in and engulfed me in a hug. I returned it full force. "Don't do that to me again" she said sadly. "From now on we do things together" I just nodded.

Artemis came in next, telling me she was happy to see me. I pulled her into a hug, making her smile. "I will need to talk to the both of you after the meeting, and before we head back out" I said. They only nodded, knowing I would be going back into the Labyrinth, with or without their help.

At that point everyone else had filed in. I looked around at everyone. Thalia, Nico, and Clarisse and Annabeth. That surprised me. I'd have to talk to them later.

Katie Gardener, Travis and Connor Stoll, Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, Zoe. I scowled at that one.

Artemis, Pollux, and finally Chiron. I cleared my throat, "Well, I am glad you two are okay" I said, looking at Clarisse and Annabeth. They both smiled at me.

"Percy my boy, where have you been?" Chiron asked. I sighed and stood up, this was going to be a long meeting, "Okay this is how this is going to go, I am going to recount what happened, and none of you will interrupt me. I will then tell you what our next move is. I want no interruptions, it will make things easier on all of us" I said forcefully.

"If you have questions stay after and I will answer them" I finished as they all nodded. I sighed and sat back down.

I told them about being in Hephaestus forge, I blushed a little at that. I told them how we ran to Mt. St. Helens and found the telekines, and my grandfather Kronos' scythe. At this they all looked shocked, apparently Zoe hadn't told them much.

I told them how I fought them off and got the scythe, I left out the part about tripping over the cart. I told them I was cornered and focused on all of my earth shaker powers, and then jumped into the volcano. How I was shot out of it like a cannon landing on an island.

At this Annabeth's and Chiron's eyes widened.

"I awoke early this morning, not fully healed. I saw a girl and saw a resemblance to Zoe. I recognized her as Calypso, Zoe's sister. Athena gives very good descriptions, and is a very thorough teacher" at this Annabeth smiled.

"She helped me out onto the beach, and I sat in the water healing ever so slightly. I spent the afternoon telling her about our quests, and she told me about her life. When I was strong enough to leave, I got on a raft home. I then mist traveled here."

"I then teleported to the dining pavilion before coming here" I finished out of breath, purposefully leaving out the part about Zoe.

"Now, we will head back out tomorrow before lunch time, in the hopes of beating the titan army to Daedalus' workshop" I said leaving no room for argument.

They all looked at me shocked. Chiron was the first to speak up, "Why hadn't you been using your weapons?" he asked curiously.

"Hephaestus told me my father wanted him to make some alterations to them. I only had a spear given to me from him, which I very unwisely threw at the telekhines, killing two of them, and leaving me weaponless" I explained.

He nodded accepting that. He then dismissed everyone and they began to shuffle out.

All that was left was Annabeth and Clarisse, and Beckendorf, which was surprising. Behind him was Artemis, Nico, Zoe, and Thalia.

"Thalia, I'll just meet up with you later, there's some things I want to talk to you about anyway, you too Nico" I said giving them both a quick hug. They nodded and walked out, talking amiably.

Annabeth and Clarisse came forward. I quickly hugged them both before smirking at them, "daughter of the wisdom goddess and you travel out to the city, when the Labyrinth is right in our backyard huh?" I asked teasing her.

She glared at me and looked like she was about to hit me, but then her eyes softened. She gave me a friendly punch in the shoulder.

They recounted their journey and how they found Chris Rodriguez, a demigod son of Hermes that betrayed us. They vouched that he wouldn't be a problem so I didn't worry much about it.

After they finished their tale I promised that I would find them later. I promised a spar with Clarisse which seemed to make her happy.

I hugged Annabeth one more time before the two of them left. I smiled at them, knowing they used to be bitter enemies, but now they are friends, or at the very least respected rivals.

Beckendorf came up next, "My dad told me about his project, so if you ever need anything just come find me and I will hook you up" he said with a smile.

I nodded, grasping his hand, he added, "he also wants us working together later in the war."

I nodded with a smile, promising that I would stop by his armory sometime.

Artemis came up next and pulled me into another hug. I was worried about this upcoming conversation. "Don't do that again Perseus, I'm serious. Or I will have your uncle bring you back to life just so I can use you as my personal punching bag" she said with a half-hearted glare.

I gulped, but nodded. "Okay, we are clearly going to need to go back in, but I have an idea to find Daedalus' workshop much quicker and safer than just wandering around aimlessly. We need a clear-sighted mortal, and I was hoping, if there was one in the hunt, you would let her accompany us" I said hopefully.

When I saw her face I gulped. I decided to add, "It's okay if it's not alright with you. It would just be safer for Thalia, Zoe, and myself. You know for a fact though that Thalia and I would never let something happen to her, and neither would Zoe for that matter."

She sighed, "I suppose it is alright, I will see you off tomorrow and bring her to Zeus' fist. If you let her get hurt though you will be in for a world of hurt Perseus" She said seriously giving me one last hug. "Oh, and don't let that Nico kid flirt with her either" She said with a smirk. I smiled happily waving after her.

I noticed it was just me and Zoe left. I debated just flashing out, but that would do more harm than good.

"What can I do for you?" I finally asked coldly.

She sighed, "I'm sorry Perseus, the only time people get sent there is for a romantic visit"

"And you thought I'd just lounge around on her island and forget all about the quest?" I asked angrily, cutting her off.

She just looked at me sadly, "I'm sorry, I just, I was worried about you okay" she said looking down.

My eyes softened, "hey it's okay, but I would never abandon you guys. You need to realize that, and stop thinking I'm like Heracles. When you do that, I think we can have a shot at truly being friends" I said with a small smile.

She nodded, "I'd like that." She gave me a hug before turning to leave. "Wait" I called after her. She turned around questioningly. "Did Hephaestus give you my new weapons?" I asked smiling.

She shook her head, "Thalia has them" she said as she walked out. I just nodded.

I disappeared in a flash of flames, intending to see what my father wanted to do with my weapons.

I reappeared in the Zeus Cabin and heard a yelp. I turned and saw Nico looking frightened, while Thalia was bent over laughing hysterically at him.

"Jeez Nico, I didn't know Hades had another daughter, or should I say, Nicole" I said with a smirk. This made Thalia laugh louder. He just shadow traveled away with a scowl. Hahah, it was too easy messing with him, I'd have to find him later though.

"So, thunder butt where are my weapons?" I said smirking at her, using the old nickname I had for her.

"Ugh, shut up Kelp head" she said, while handing me a gold coin, a necklace, and a bracelet.

I put the necklace and bracelet on. I then put the coin in my pocket, not thinking too much about it. The bracelet was still sea green, and had a flame charm on it. That was the only charm though, as I pulled it, and my shield spiraled out. I grinned and willed it away.

I pulled on my necklace next, which also looked the same and my bow appeared. I was confused. "How come Hephaestus took this one, but didn't do any changes to it.

She shrugged, "probably because he didn't want to upset Artemis, same as with Hestia's" she said.

I nodded, I mean it made sense.

I then took out the coin, I was about to ask what to do with it, but got an idea. I flipped the coin and when I caught it tidal wave was in my hand. I smiled, that was pretty cool. Thalia did the same and her spear appeared.

"Now watch this" she said. She flipped her spear and it turned back into the coin. She then flipped it again and in her hands was her sword. The one I had gotten her. I smiled at that.

I then flipped tidal wave and a coin landed in my hand. I then flipped it again and in my hand was the spear that Thalia had gotten me. That's so awesome, I thought to myself. I flipped it back into a coin and put it in my pocket.

I realized I would need to train more with a spear, especially since I liked to throw it like a javelin often, and that wouldn't do any good now, except leave me nearly weaponless.

"Aren't they awesome?" She asked. I nodded in response. In truth, I was extremely excited to put them to the test.

"My father thought we used one weapon too much. This way we won't know what we are about to wield. It will teach us to be ready no matter the situation. It will also always return to us, so if you foolishly throw it like a javelin, it'll come back." she said with a smile. I couldn't help but agree with that logic. My uncle could certainly be wise when he wanted to.

She turned somber after that, which confused me. She told me how she shot Luke with an arrow and it bounced off harmlessly. She said Nico had an idea, and it should be done as soon as possible.

I nodded, it was already pretty late, but I figured if it was important, sleep could wait.

So we left her cabin to find Nico.

 **Line Break**

We eventually found him in his cabin, which probably should've been the first place we looked. Funny thing about that though, it wasn't.

Thalia broke the silence, "Young cousin we don't have much time, will you please enlighten Percy of your plan" she said.

He nodded, "Alright Perce, how does one become invulnerable, like Luke as I'm sure Thalia told you?" he asked me.

I thought about it for a minute, "either you're immortal or you don't" I said my voice trailing off. "Oh shit, you don't mean he" I started, but Nico only nodded.

"Yep, he took a dip in the styx. I have, of course thought about this, and I might do it in the future, but I am certain that the two of you should do it as soon as possible" he said seriously.

"We're only twelve though, the great prophecy refers to us being sixteen" I said, not ready to take this path.

He sighed, "Percy we don't know when the full blown war will start, it could be any day now for all we know. What we do know though, is that Luke has taken a dip in the styx, which means he is preparing. It's now or never" he said completely serious.

I nodded reluctantly, "so what do we do?" I asked.

"We have to take you to your mother to get her blessing. After you oh so lovingly mocked me, I went to see her. She is already on board, you both just need to ask her. Then we go to the styx. I am sure Athena has taught you about it, but you must remember to pick a spot on your body, just one spot. Imagine a cord extending out from there, and that will be your one mortal point."

"Also, while you are in there think about who anchors you to the world. They will be the ones to pull you out. I know the both of you can do it, but let's go. We don't have much time, and I want to get some sleep before the quest" he said before telling us to meet him in Elysium. He then ran into a shadow and disappeared.

I looked at Thalia and shrugged, before disappearing in a flash of flames.

 **Line Break**

I reappeared in front of a beautiful golden gate. I looked around. Everything was so dark and gloomy, and here were these bright golden gates. I shook that thought away. I could go sightseeing in my uncle's realm at a different time.

We found Nico looking at a bench. When I saw what he was looking at, I let out a shocked gasp.

I turned to Thalia and saw the same look on her face. I grabbed her hand, and we approached the bench.

I tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but my hand passed right through. She's still a ghost, I thought sadly. Thalia gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

Thalia stepped forward and cleared her throat, "Mom, I need your permission to bathe in the river styx" she said confidently.

Our mother smiled lovingly up at her, "Oh Thalia you look so beautiful" this made her blush, "yes my daughter, I give you permission to bathe in the river styx" she said.

It was my turn, "mother, I need your permission as well, to bathe in the river styx" I said with false confidence.

She turned to me, "Oh, my Perseus, look how handsome you are. You two are going to be the greatest heroes this world has ever seen. Yes, you have my permission to take a dip in the river styx" she said.

I nodded. I wanted to say something else, but her form shimmered and disappeared.

Nico walked over and put a hand on each of our shoulders, "It was tough to summon her here for so long without anyone finding out. I am sorry I couldn't keep her here longer" he said solemnly.

We both just gave him an appreciative smile. He then told us to teleport to the banks of the river styx, as he shadow traveled away.

Thalia disappeared, and I followed suit.

We reappeared on the banks of the dark black river. This is going to suck, I thought.

I noticed a man with an arrow sticking out of his ankle standing next to Nico.

"Do not do this, beware, turn back now, before it is too late"

 **A.N. Well I threw in another POV there, Zoe got a little bit of the spotlight. I'm sure you all know who the "mystery" man is. This was a shorter filler chapter. I know it wasn't the most exciting, but let me know what you thought.**


	10. Chapter 9

_I noticed a man with an arrow sticking out of his ankle standing next to Nico._

" _Do not do this, beware, turn back now, before it is too late"_

"Achilles?" I asked. The figure only nodded. "I warned the other one, and now I will warn you both. Turn back now, it is not worth it" he said sadly.

I stepped forward, "I am sorry, but we must do this" I said confidently. He only nodded before shimmering away. I swear I heard him whisper "fools" as he disappeared, but it might've just been my imagination.

I gulped, not at all prepared for the swim we were about to take. I looked at Thalia, and she looked just as worried. I grabbed her hand, and after giving Nico a wink, we both jumped in.

When I made contact with the water I immediately dropped Thalia's hand and gasped in shock. The pain was unbelievingly excruciating. The worst I had ever felt in my short life. It felt like I was taking a bath in acid.

I felt like my soul was burning away, and that's when I remembered Nico's words. I thought about everyone that would keep me grounded to the mortal world.

I saw Annabeth and Clarisse go by. My father, Athena, and Artemis all drifted by. My uncle Zeus went by giving me a disapproving glare.

Zoe went by glaring at me, calling me a foolish boy. Reyna drifted by, "Perseus don't die now. You promised we would meet again" she said. A look of hurt flashed across her face and that's when I felt a tug about six inches under my right armpit. "Come on Perseus, grab my hand" she said as she extended her hand to me. I looked at it for a second before grabbing it.

It felt like I was being pulled by a cord from the spot below my armpit, and all of a sudden I was spit out of the river.

I looked up to see Nico with a smile, and Thalia looking at me in worry.

I got up and brushed myself off. "Well that sucked" I said. This cause Nico to laugh and Thalia to chuckle, "you can say that again" she said.

I thought back to it, Reyna grounded me to the mortal world. She pulled me out of the river, and my Achilles spot was about six inches under my right armpit. A spot that is protected well by my armor.

"So, did it work?" Nico asked. I grinned, and pulled on my necklace. My bow appeared in my hand and I fired a quick arrow into Thalia's leg.

"what the hell Percy" Nico shouted at me. I just gestured over to Thalia. He looked over and saw Thalia's leg was fine, and about a foot away lay an arrow with a broken off tip.

"Does that answer your question?" I asked mockingly.

He glared at me, "I'm going to bed, I'll see you guys tomorrow for the quest" he grumbled before shadow traveling away.

Thalia was about to teleport away, but I grabbed her hand stopping her in her tracks. She looked at me questioningly.

I just rolled my eyes, "so, where's your Achilles spot?" I asked in curiosity.

She looked at me dumbfounded, "you know we're not supposed to tell anyone where it is" she said shocked.

"Well, mine is about six inches below my right armpit" I said making her eyes widen. "We're in this together, and if I can't trust you, then all is lost anyway" I said seriously.

She nodded, "Mine is literally opposite of yours, six inches below my left armpit" she said.

That made me chuckle. We would be the ones to choose basically the same spot.

"Let's go, we got a long life to live, and it starts with tomorrow" I said disappearing in a flash of flames.

 **Line Break**

I had been lying awake in bed for the past few hours. I sighed and decided to just get up. There was no point just lying in bed. I decided to go for a run, since my bag was still packed from the first part of the quest.

I ran around the perimeter of the camp a few times. On my third time around I noticed someone was sitting in the stands in the arena, and there were straw dummies littered across the floor.

I decided to see who it was. As I got closer I saw a head of blonde hair and figured I knew who it was.

I cleared my throat and she looked over at me startled, "Not very wise to be up this early" I said to her.

She just shrugged, "you're up" she said smirking, "and you have got to stop with the wisdom quotes" she said chuckling.

I took a seat next to her, and we fell into a comfortable silence. "what's that?" she asked. I was startled for a moment, not sure what she was talking about. I then noticed I had unconsciously started twirling the golden coin around in my fingers.

I flicked it and she caught it, only in her hand was the spear Thalia had made for me. "My dad had Hephaestus make it for me" I said. She looked at it amazed.

She flipped it and I caught the coin. "Hmm, yep, daughter of Athena alright" I said making her smile.

"Soo" I said making her turn to me, "what's on your mind. What brings you out here at this time of morning?" I asked curiously.

She shrugged, "I could ask you the same thing" she retorted.

I just smiled at that, "I couldn't sleep, too anxious for later, so I went for my morning run around camp and noticed you here" I said, "your turn."

She sighed, "I don't know. I just feel so useless. It was all of us on the quest to rescue Thalia and Lady Artemis. I just feel like I can't do anything here" she said sadly.

I wrapped her in a one-armed hug, "hey you're one of the oldest campers here, and one of the most valuable. The quest called for a child of the dead, and a huntress. After that it was easy to choose Thalia. Don't compare yourself to this quest like that, besides, it's probably better you're here. This quest is very dangerous, and sooner than we think we are going to have an army of monsters on our back door" I said trying to sound sincere.

She nodded confidently, "you're right, thanks Perseus" she said happily. She got this look in her eye that I've seen all too often in Athena's. "Wanna spar?" she asked.

Oh dear, I thought. "I'd love to spar, but it's not exactly fair" I said to her, not trying to sound like a dick.

She scoffed at me, "oh, if you think I'm too weak to fight you let's just see about that" she said angrily.

I held my hands up in surrender, "you misunderstand me" I said leaning down to pick up a bronze dagger. I plunged it into my chest, but the tip just completely broke off right as it connected with my chest.

She looked shocked before turning to me, "explain now" she said angrily. I sighed, "Me and Thalia took a dip in the styx late last night. Apparently, Luke has done it as well, and we need every advantage we can get" I explained to her.

She nodded in understanding, "Fine, let's go then, and I don't want you taking it easy on me" she said. When she saw my look of doubt she just smiled, "What? This just means I don't have to worry about hurting you now" she said smirking wickedly at the end.

I gulped. I pulled out my gold coin and flipped it. I caught it and in my hands was my sword. This seemed to throw her off a bit. She must have been expecting my spear. I charged her as she brought out her sword just in time.

Our blades clashed, neither one of us able to land a blow. I never realized how skilled Annabeth was with a sword. I had always seen her use a bow, or a knife.

I feinted a strike to her side and when she went to block, I kicked her back. I charged forward and tried an overhead strike at her head, but she brought her blade up to block just in time.

It had been going back and forth like that for a while, and I could tell she was beginning to get tired. She charged at me and I met her charge head on, only at the last second I did a baseball slide right under her, tripping her up.

I jumped to my feet and turned around, slashing a shallow cut in her thigh, she winced and I slashed a shallow cut in her arm.

She was beginning to get tired now, and was making mistakes. She was trying to use brute force, which is a sign of a child of Ares, not a child of Athena. I ignored it for now, but I figured I would tell her about it later.

All of a sudden she came at me and swung at my head hard. I blocked locking our blades together.

I saw an opening, so I brought my left hand down to her hilt making her eyes widen. I then twisted and pulled with all my might, doing a three-sixty and finishing with her sword tip at her throat and my sword behind her head. I had done that move so quick that when my sword went behind her head it had unintentionally gave her a little haircut. Ooops, I thought.

I backed away handing her sword back to her. All of a sudden the arena erupted in cheers. "What the hell" I said aloud. I had no idea people had been watching, and it was nearly packed. I saw Artemis in the crowd and winked.

I turned to Annabeth, "did you know they were all there?" I asked still in a stupor.

She shook her head, "I didn't realize we had been going for so long either, the sun is starting to rise now" she said.

I looked over and noticed for the first time that it was finally bright. I also noticed that I was extremely tired. During the fight I had unlimited energy and stamina it seemed, but now I felt twice as worn out as I usually do. It must be the curse of Achilles.

"Wanna go for a swim to cool off?" I asked. She shrugged and nodded.

I disappeared in a flash of flames to my cabin. I put on some board shorts, and decided to walk to the lake.

When I got there Annabeth was already there wearing a gray bikini that showed off her curves. She was beautiful, but I didn't think about her like that. We were just friends.

I willed a wave to come up onto the dock and douse her, and the next thing I heard was a loud shriek.

"Ugh Percy you are so dead" she screamed at me. I just shrugged and tackled her off the dock.

When I came up to the surface she glared at me. I just put a hand on her shoulder and she was immediately dry. She looked surprised, then gave me a smile.

"Wanna see something?" I asked. She shrugged so I pulled her down below and let us float down to the bottom. She had her eyes clenched shut, and seemed to be holding her breath. I whispered to her, "just breathe."

This seemed to relax her, and she took a breath. When she noticed she could breathe she opened her eyes and noticed the air bubble around us for the first time. She then looked around and noticed how beautiful it all was.

"Oh my gods Percy, it's so beautiful" she said in awe. I just nodded. We stayed like that for a while, just in a comfortable silence. I got bored so I lit my hand on fire. When she turned over to me her smile fell off her face and she rolled her eyes before flicking me in the head. I extinguished the flame, not wanting to be abused any more.

Eventually I brought us back up to the surface as I knew we would be having to leave on the quest soon. We climbed back onto the deck and I noticed how late it was.

"I'll see you later Annabeth" I said as I mist traveled back to my cabin. I changed quickly and grabbed my pack. I then bid farewell to my cabin and headed towards Zeus' fist.

When I arrived a girl I didn't recognize turned to me with a scowl, "you're late boy" she snapped at me.

Zoe looked at her murderously, and Artemis just said, "Alex stop now, this is Perseus. He is to be treated with just as much respect as Phoebe, Zoe, or myself"

The girl, Alex's eyes widened. She quickly apologized, but I just waved her off. "He has saved both Zoe and myself before, so I expect you to be able to work together on this quest at the very least" she said, although it came out more as an order.

Thalia and Nico arrived after that little skirmish.

Annabeth came to bid us farewell and she thanked me for this morning, saying she really needed it. I just waved her off and told her to stay prepared.

Thalia raised an eyebrow at me, "so what happened this morning?" she asked making kissing faces at me.

I scowled at her, "no, apparently we were sparing for a couple of hours, and had amassed quite the crowd" I said as I bid farewell to everyone. Telling Artemis and Chiron to start preparing as well just in case.

They nodded and I walked in between the rocks, touching the blue delta symbol. I jumped down when the trapdoor appeared.

The three girls all landed beside me, but Nico once again fell to the ground not so gracefully.

I sighed, "come on Nico, you gotta do better than that" I said shaking my head.

He scowled and got up as the huntress, Alex led us down the corridor. After a couple turns Thalia asked, "are you sure you know where we're going?"

Alex turned around with a glare, but it softened as she saw it was Thalia. "Yes, can't you guys see this path?" she asked. We all looked down and shook our heads. I lit my hands on fire and still couldn't see anything, but apparently she could as she said, "that's much better, yes, keep doing that"

I rolled my eyes, but kept my hands aflame anyway. We walked for a while before I felt something, "everybody stop" I said. The huntress turned around and glared, "Why? Can't keep up boy?" she hissed out.

I extinguished my hands and growled out, "unless you want to become the human torch for the rest of the quest huntress, I suggest you keep your mouth shut until I say otherwise" I said in a menacing voice, and clearly everyone got the message, as no one spoke for the next couple of minutes.

I took tidal wave out of my pocket and flipped it catching my sword in my hand. Thalia did the same and caught her sword as well. Everyone followed suit and brought out their weapons.

"Alex and Zoe cover us with aerial support. Me, Nico, and Thalia will take them head on" I said as Nico brought out his stygian iron sword.

"I don't take orders from males" the huntress said huffing.

Zoe turned to her with a glare, "then listen to your co-lieutenant and cover them with damn aerial support" she shouted at her huntress, shocking her. "I'm sorry, but you need to stop questioning everything Alex, Percy is the one male friend I have ever had, and he can be trusted" Zoe said not as threatening this time.

She just nodded and took out her bow. I got an idea. I flipped my sword and caught the coin putting it back in my pocket. I pulled on my necklace and my bow appeared.

I decided to try something that Hephaestus had told me would work. I notched an arrow and willed it on fire, but not just any fire…Greek fire. I launched the arrow and right as a dozen monsters turned the corner the arrow hit, exploding and causing all of the monsters that were in a twenty yard radius to disintegrate.

I heard a wolf whistle and turned to see Zoe grinning. I threw her a wink and willed my bow away before bringing tidal wave back out and flipping it.

I caught my spear and waited as more monsters began coming around the corner. This was a pretty narrow passage so it would work to our advantage.

"Thalia, stay here with Nico and battle from this side with the huntresses" I said calling out to her.

"What are you going to do?" She asked throwing me a glare.

I smirked, "Make sure none can escape, and there are no survivors" I said as I disappeared in a flash of flames and appeared around the corner at the back of the monster lines.

I threw a huge ball of Greek fire at the back of their ranks and the corridor was so small that it engulfed the whole back part of the army disintegrating a good ten to fifteen of them. I charged right through the wall of fire and into the fray.

I jumped over the spear of an empousa and stabbed my spear into a hellhound ending its life. I turned around and swung the spear like a baseball bat catching the empousa in the head and sending it back into a cyclops. This enraged the cyclops and it gave the empousa a beat down with its club.

This enraged a few other monsters around them and they all started fighting with each other.

I turned the corner and gasped. There was a hydra. I threw my spear at it and it embedded in one of the heads making it squeal in outrage. It turned its heads towards me and the middle head spit a ball of poison at me. I dodged it easily enough though.

Great, now I am weaponless. At least it's coming over here now. I turned back around the corner and saw that a cyclops was all that was left. I threw a ball of Greek fire into its face and disappeared in a flash of flames.

I reappeared by Zoe and told her, "hey, there's a hydra that I led over there. I need you guys to handle the rest of these monsters." I ran towards Thalia cursing as I checked my pocket and tidal wave still had yet to return to me.

"Having fun yet?" I asked smirking as I was throwing fireballs into the monsters.

"Nice job throwing that spear" she said smiling, and taunting me.

I shrugged, "do you see the hydra over here?" After I got no response I said, "exactly, oooh and lookie here" I said pulling out tidal wave and flipping it, "time to go kill said hydra" I said catching my sword and disappearing in a flash of flames.

I reappeared around the corner and saw the hydra looking around for me. I ran over to it slashing a deep gash in one of the necks, but not enough to completely decapitate it. I saw the middle head rear back and my eyes widened.

I tugged on my bracelet and my shield spiraled out and was coated in a layer of poison. I got a wicked grin on my face and willed my shield away, I needed one hand to cauterize the neck stumps anyway.

I disappeared and reappeared on the hydra. I swung down with all my might decapitating a head, so I threw a fireball onto the neck, cauterizing it.

This enraged the hydra and it threw me from its back. I crashed into the wall and my vision swam. Thalia looked at me shocked.

My instincts kicked in and I dove away just in time as a ball of poison crashed into the wall that I had just been thrown into.

The hydra was coming back over by everyone else now and that was bad news. I turned to Thalia and grinned as I charged at the hydra.

Two of its heads lunged for me and a third spit a ball of poison. I dove over the poison and came up running. I used the two heads like a step ladder diving off the second head. I flipped in midair and brought my blade down in a powerful overhead strike that decapitated another head.

I fell to the floor and quickly threw a fireball onto the neck. The hydra wailed, now only having three of its five heads. A dozen arrows connected with the hydras leg making it trip.

I grinned taking advantage. I charged forward and lit my sword in Greek fire. I took a huge swing at the hydras leg that still had the arrows in it. I connected and I cut a deep gash in its leg.

The hydra screeched and spit a ball of poison at me, making me dive away quickly to avoid it. I stood quickly and looked over to see Thalia facing the remaining monsters alone with Alex as backup. Zoe was covering me while Nico seemed to have been knocked unconscious. He had a huge welt on his forward which didn't look too good.

The hydra limped over now and I got an idea. "Thalia throw me one of those spears" I said gesturing to a couple of fallen weapons from defeated monsters. She nodded and threw it my way. I caught it and turned towards the hydra. I holstered my sword and charged.

I ran full speed towards it, throwing it off for a second, and at the last second I dug the spear in the ground like a pole vaulter would do and vaulted just out of reach over the front head, which was trying to swallow me in one clean bite.

I flipped and unholstered my sword. I lit it on fire and swiped hard with all my might on my descent. I went into a barrel roll and saw a head fall down next to me. Without wasting any time, I threw a fireball, immediately cauterizing it. That left just two heads, and about a dozen monsters.

I noticed then just how tired I was. I was exhausted and knew I wouldn't last much longer. I figured Thalia was probably the same way. She seemed to be slowing down. I then wondered if the poison would even affect me with the curse of Achilles. I had no idea, but I really had no intention of finding out.

I decided that sometimes flashy isn't always the best and I disappeared in a flash of flames, reappearing on one of the necks. I swung down and saw the head fall, so I threw a fireball quickly to cauterize it. I then screamed in pain as the last head had taken a huge bite out of my shoulder.

Of course it didn't break the skin because of the curse, but it still hurt like a bitch. The hydra threw me off of it, as it tried to figure out how to beat me.

I crashed into the wall hard…again. I looked up dazed as I saw the hydra set its sights on Alex. I saw her stiffen up and her eyes widen. Over my dead body, I thought.

The hydra reared its head back and with the last bit of my energy I flashed over there and knocked her to the floor right as the hydra spit a ball of poison at her.

I let out a guttural scream as the poison hit me in the leg. I guess that answers my question. "Thalia cut off the damn head" I yelled.

I saw black spots in my vision, but I could make out Thalia using the winds to propel her up to the hydras head. She ducked under a ball of poison and slashed her sword across its throat.

With one last effort I threw a fireball at the falling hydras body, hoping that I didn't miss and give my friends more trouble. The only thought in my mind being, "why do I always have to save people."

 **Line Break (Thalia POV)**

I cut off the last head and saw Percy lazily throw a fireball, barely cauterizing the last head. I turned to ask him what the hell he was doing when I saw Zoe kneeling next to him pouring water on his leg, that's when I noticed the poison.

I ran over, "shouldn't the curse prevent that from affecting him?" I asked worriedly. Zoe looked up, "he bathed in the styx?" she asked me. I nodded, "we both did. Luke did as well. We need an even playing field" I explained.

She just nodded. I saw her grab his shoulder and thrust it forward making a sickening crunch. "What did you just do?" I asked. She sighed, "I just reset his shoulder, I should've known something was up when the hydra bit him in the shoulder and he only had a dislocated shoulder" she said.

"Heal him Thalia" Zoe shouted at me when I was just standing there unmoving. I glared at her, but was happy that she shocked me out of my stupor. I knelt by his side and poured more water on his leg. I then put my hands as close to the poison as I could and they began to emit an orange glow.

After ten long minutes, I sat back drenched in sweat. "He'll live, thankfully." I said tiredly. I noticed that Nico was sitting over by us now. Holding his head. I passed him a square of ambrosia and he accepted it gratefully.

" _Good work my champion"_ I heard in my heard. I smiled, thankful for the praise from Hestia.

Alex finally spoke, "he saved me. I've done nothing except question him the whole quest and he sacrificed himself for me" she said feeling guilty.

I laughed, "don't worry about it Alex, Percy is always like that. Always trying to be the hero, and protect and save everyone. I will be having a very stern conversation with him when he wakes up. Anyway, let's just camp here for the night" I said laying down.

"Thalia is right Alex. This is the third time I have seen Percy sacrifice himself for someone to save them, and I have only known him for six months. We have only been on two quests together" I heard Zoe say.

The last thing I heard was Alex say she'll take first watch before drifting into the realm of Morpheus.

 **Line Break (Percy POV)**

"Ughhhh" I groaned, as I opened my eyes and winced. Everything hurts, I thought. I conjured some water and splashed it on my face. It rejuvenated me enough so that I could open my eyes and look around. My shoulder kills and my body feels like it's on fire, I thought to myself.

I saw Alex out of the corner of my eye, "Can you toss me two squares of Ambrosia" I asked. She just nodded and handed them to me.

I ate them both and felt like I could at least sit up against the wall. I pulled myself up and saw my sword next to me so I flipped it and caught the coin. I began studying it as I leaned against the wall. I stuck it in my pocket and looked towards Alex.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked, "Any injuries?" She just shook her head. I noticed that she had a pretty big scrape on her elbow from where I pushed her.

I conjured some water and willed it to cover her arm. This startled her at first, but she eventually relaxed into it. It took a few minutes, but it eventually healed up.

I sat back, my forehead beaded with sweat. I laughed a little bit, "Yeah sorry about that" I said gesturing to her elbow.

She looked at me with an incredulous look, "Are you kidding. No, I'm sorry Perseus. I have been belittling you the whole quest and you saved me. Thank you" she said graciously. "I can see how you are Zoe's only male friend" she said giving me a small smile.

I looked at her, "You're important to Zoe, and Artemis, I would never hurt them if I could help it" I said smiling. I shuddered, "Plus Artemis said if anything happened to you she would have my hide" I finished.

She just laughed at that, "you're alright Jackson. Well for a male at least" she said smirking.

I saw her look behind me before locking eyes with me again, "I wouldn't worry too much about Artemis if I was you" she said to me. I looked at her questioningly, but she just shook her head. "Goodluck jackson, you're gonna need it" she said looking at me with sympathy.

I turned around to see the glares of Zoe Nightshade, and Thalia. I gulped, this could be anything but good.

They proceeded to lecture me for a good half hour about how I needed to stop saving people and putting myself in danger. That just because I had the curse of Achilles didn't mean I could be so reckless all the time. They said a bunch of other nonsense that I nodded to and acted like I agreed, before Zoe thanked me for saving her sister.

Thalia then wrapped me in a hug and let a few tears out, telling me she couldn't do this without me, and that she needed me. This one really hit home, and I promised her that I would do my best to stop being so reckless. Seeing her like that broke my heart.

After my little intervention I grabbed a stray spear and used it as a walking stick.

Thalia woke Nico up, and Alex led us back down the path towards Daedalus' workshop.

We walked in silence for a while. The only thing on my mind was that most of us were pretty battered and bruised, and we needed to defend the camp at a moment's notice. It could get ugly.

We came to a door and heard shouting on the other side. "This is it" Alex said.

I nodded and pushed open the door. We saw a ghost like figure chasing around what looked to be an automaton of some kind.

"Minos" Nico growled.

 **A.N. There's chapter 10. Percy and Annabeth did a little bonding before the quest and I introduced my OC Alex. She's not going to be a big character or anything, but I thought it'd be fun to throw her in. Let me know what you thought of the chapter. I still don't know how I'm doing with the fight scenes, so any tips are welcome.**


	11. Chapter 10

_I nodded and pushed open the door. We saw a ghost like figure chasing around what looked to be an automaton of some kind._

" _Minos" Nico growled._

"Nico" the ghost figure that must've been Minos said with distaste. He then whistled and a crack appeared in the ground. A couple dozen skeleton hands arose from the ground and clawed their way up.

I dropped the spear I had been using to help myself walk in favor of pulling out tidal wave. I flipped it and smiled as my sword appeared.

I looked over to Nico, "command the dead warriors to leave and return to the Underworld" I told him, not truly knowing if that would actually work.

He looked doubtful, "I..I don't know if I can" he said nervously.

Nevertheless, he stepped forward, "Attack them" Minos growled out. They started towards us but Nico help up his hand, "No, return to the Underworld" he said fearlessly.

The undead warriors stopped in their tracks and looked around confused for a moment. They turned around and looked at Minos. "What're you waiting for, attack them now" Minos yelled fuming angrily.

They started forward once more before Nico stomped his foot, causing the whole room to shake. "My father is king of the Underworld and all of the undead, you will return there NOW" he shouted forcefully.

To the shock of everyone in the room they all bowed to him and went back through the crack, leading to the Underworld.

Before Minos could say anything, Nico stepped forward again, "Unless you wish to taste my blade you will return to the Underworld as well" he said in a deadly serious tone.

Minos was about to retort, but thought better of it when he saw Nico's glare. He threw us all one last glare before retreating to the Underworld.

We all stepped forward towards the automaton, and we realized that it was Daedalus.

About fifteen minutes later, Daedalus explained how he was alive, as well as how he gave Ariadne's string to the titan army. Nico told him that if he helped us now, and defended camp half-blood, he would make sure his father was lenient in deciding his fate.

Daedalus left, and came back a few minutes later with a few duffle bags and told us he was ready to go.

Alex led us back out, and we hurried back towards camp.

A few hours later we touched the blue delta and came out between a few rocks of Zeus' fist. Nobody seemed to be in war prep mode at all though. They were all going about their daily routines.

Zoe, and Alex went to find the hunter's and get them ready, and Nico went off to do who knows what.

Me and Thalia went to find Chiron and Artemis, and inform them of everything that had happened.

We found them in the big house. When we walked in we were immediately engulfed in a hug by Artemis, and after reassuring her that everyone was alright we got down to business.

"We'll talk about the quest later, right now we need everyone to get ready to defend camp. The titan army could be here at a moment's notice, thanks to Daedalus" I told them. They nodded, and Artemis flashed out, presumably to find her hunters.

"Perseus, Thalia, regardless of if you like it or not, you are the leaders' of camp. They look up to you. Whatever the two of you wish to do, we will have your backs" Chiron said seriously, pride shining off of him.

The next ten minutes were spent hammering out a good strategy and when Chiron agreed, even looking impressed with what we had come up with, we left to go begin setting up the defense.

 **Line Break**

About an hour later we had everyone set up outside of Zeus' fist. Myself, Thalia, and most of the Ares, and Athena campers were set up in a semi-circle about thirty to forty yards away from Zeus' fist. In between it and us were many traps that the Hephaestus and Hermes cabin had set up.

Behind us were the Demeter, Hephaestus, and Hermes cabins with a few others sprinkled in here and there. The Apollo cabin, and the hunters were all in the trees, looking to provide aerial cover.

Artemis and Chiron stood off to the side, Chiron with his bow, and Artemis empty handed. She couldn't interfere unless a divine being attacked. I thought about the little snake Daedalus. When we got back from our council with Chiron he was gone. Nowhere to be found.

All of sudden a huge rumbling could be felt. I knew this was it.

I stepped forward, Thalia right with me, "Campers, this is what we have been training for. This is what we all have been waiting for. Are we just going to let them take our home from us?" I shouted. I heard many shouts of protests and the Ares cabin started pounding on their shields.

"We're the best warriors in the world. They think they can beat us, but they've seen nothing yet" Thalia shouted revving the campers up even more.

"On my mark" I said right as monsters started pouring out of Zeus' fist.

Dozens' were immediately vaporized from the traps, and when they started getting closer I screamed, "NOW!"

Jars of Greek fire were hurled over the front lines heads and directly into the charging monsters. That's when I lit both hands with Greek fire and hurled fireball after fireball into the army of monsters.

When the jars ceased coming Thalia stepped forward, "archers now" she yelled. Immediately golden and silver arrows rained down on the enemy. With each monster that was taken down, two more took its place.

I saw the monsters beginning to regroup and saw a hydra as well as a lydian drakon. All of a sudden I heard a terrifying screech. A huge monster flew out of the Labyrinth and landed on top of the rocks, surveying the field. I gasped, it was Kampe.

I turned to Thalia, "take care of the hydra. Blast the stumps with lightning to cauterize them. If you see Clarisse, tell her to take care of the Drakon. I'll handle Kampe" I said turning away and not giving her the chance to argue.

I immediately was handed a spear and hurled it towards the army of monsters. It flew by all of them and embedded in the heart of a Laistrygonian Giant right as it exited the Labyrinth.

I smiled, flipping tidal wave. I caught my sword and yelled, "CHARGE" as I disappeared in a flash of flames.

I reappeared behind kampe and swung hard, but she instinctively turned around and blocked my strike with wide eyes. I kicked her back and noticed the campers had engaged the monster army. I saw Artemis flash away, probably back to Olympus, and turned back to Kampe.

I feinted a strike high and swept her feet out from under her, but she just flew up into the air. I cursed forgetting about her wings.

I got an idea. I leapt and swung at her midsection.

She smirked thinking I had made a mistake, but as she blocked my strike, I lit one hand in Greek fire and hurled a fireball at one of her wings. She screamed as the fire engulfed the wing. She drifted back towards the ground and scowled at me, no longing having an aerial advantage.

I charged at her again and tried to get the finishing blow, but she met me strike for strike.

A huge force clamped down onto my forearm, and I cursed. My arm would certainly be broken right now if it wasn't for the curse, but that still hurt like Hades. I backed up a few feet and that's when I remembered the huge animal heads around her waist.

I wondered if I could defeat her by getting her to overthink and make a mistake. I disappeared in a flash and reappeared right behind her. I swung my sword, only to be met by her scimitars. She smirked at me and kicked me back.

I smirked back, only confusing her. I knew I would have her soon enough. I charged her again, and unleashed a volley of attacks before disappearing in a flash of flames.

Only this time I reappeared in the same spot. Just as I had thought, she turned around expecting me to be behind her. I quickly stabbed her in the back. She shrieked, and I swept her legs out from under her and stabbed downwards.

My sword was stabbed right through her heart and she began to disintegrate.

The monsters and campers that were all watching looked over at me with disbelief. The monsters were shocked they had lost such a powerful adversary.

I summoned a glass of water and drank it quickly, re energizing myself, while I turned to survey the field. Thalia, Annabeth, and Zoe were all circled around the Hydra, who only had two heads remaining.

I saw Clarisse with a few of her cabin mates attacking the Lydian Drakon. I saw Nico leading the campers into the brunt of the army of monsters. I decided to flash over there.

I reappeared next to him and immediately dropped to the ground as his sword slashed a lunging hellhound that was attempting to surprise me.

I got back up and the two of us slashed and hacked our way forward until we were surrounded on all sides by monsters. We went back to back and went to work on them. I could see the other campers trying to get to us out of the corner of my eye, but I knew we could handle it.

I stabbed an empousa, and ducked under a swinging club. Still crouched, I swiped my sword across the thigh of the cyclops making it roar in pain. I then slashed upwards and ended its life.

All of a sudden, a gigantic hellhound charged out of the Labyrinth. It charged forward, but instead of attacking us, it was attacking the monsters. I then saw Daedalus charge out next. He threw little Greek fire bombs into the army setting dozens of them on fire.

I smiled, maybe I was wrong about him, I thought.

I noticed that the army of monsters wasn't getting any smaller, but the arrows started coming slower and slower, and the campers all looked like they were going in slow motion. I cursed, this was where the titan army's numbers advantage would come into play.

I heard a huge roar and saw the Drakon dissolve. This brought a smile to my face, as I knew the Ares' campers would be thirsty to hop back into the battle. I looked to Nico asking him if he was fine here. When he nodded, I disappeared in a flash.

I reappeared off to the side and looked around. I noticed the Hydra was gone. This made me smile. I saw Daedalus making his way towards Nico. I wondered what that was all about, but didn't have too much time to think about it.

A monstrous figure emerged from the Labyrinth and immediately locked eyes with me. He made his way over and smiled, "Ahh Perseus, yes I have heard much about you. How you stood toe to toe with Atlas. Do you think you can battle the titan of destruction and live to talk about it though?" He said taunting me.

I gulped looking at the titan Perses in front of me. I cursed realizing that Artemis was gone. I only hoped that I would be able to hold him off long enough for backup to arrive.

I summoned my shield and slowly moved towards one of the more powerful titans. I then steeled my nerves and charged. We went strike for strike, and I knew I couldn't overpower him, so I tried using my speed to my advantage. To my shock, he was extremely quick for someone his size.

I stepped back and went on the defensive. He charged at me and sent attack after attack at me, but to his shock, I met him strike for strike. He was beginning to get infuriated as he was not able to land one blow on me.

Finally, I made a mistake and didn't see him feint a strike high. I went to block, but he swept my legs out from under me, and brought his javelin down straight into my heart.

The tip broke off, much to his shock, as I let out a huge scream.

He eventually conjured a new weapon and brought it down again. I barely realized it in time, and I brought my shield up to block it.

I pulled myself to my feet quickly, and almost passed out. My chest was on fire. Thankfully there was a huge rumbling, which distracted Perses long enough for me to catch my breath and focus once again.

I realized it might be more monsters, but there was dust coming from the rocks of Zeus' fist, and no monsters followed. I looked over and my eyes widened as I saw Nico with his sword stabbed in Daedalus chest.

I didn't have time to think about it as Perses charged at me and I had to go on the defensive again. I realized that my shield was slowing me down, so I blocked a strike and kicked Perses back.

I did a three sixty and hurled my shield at him like a frisbee. It caught him in the chest and the momentum of it brought him to the ground.

He was back on his feet quickly and was about to charge again, but noticed that the last of the monsters were being destroyed, and they had no reinforcements coming.

"You're lucky Perseus, next time I won't take it so easy on you" he said as he flashed away.

I sighed and flipped my sword. I caught my coin and put it in my pocket, before looking around. I wanted to run away at what I saw. Dozens of campers lay dead on the ground.

I saw people beginning to tend the wounded and take care of the dead, and Chiron announced that there would be a meeting in an hour in the big house for the cabin counselors.

I decided that I was no help here at the moment, so I flashed away, intending to rest before the meeting.

 **Line Break**

I guess I had drifted off because next thing I know, I was awoken by someone clearing their throat. I looked around, and felt guilty when I let out a sigh of relief at seeing my friends all there.

"Thankfully the losses weren't too bad. They could've been much worse. We lost twenty five campers, Lee Fletcher among them" Chiron said solemnly. I then noticed for the first time that Michael Yew was sitting in the Apollo seat.

"I believe the hunters only lost one correct?" he asked looking over at Zoe. She only nodded in response.

I cleared my throat making everyone look over at me, "so what happened with the Labyrinth?" I asked.

Nico was the one who spoke up, "Daedalus came up to me telling me to kill him. He said that the Labyrinth was connected to his life force and if he was destroyed so would the Labyrinth. Hopefully it destroyed a good chunk of their army too, although I don't think we will be that lucky."

I nodded, and laid back as Thalia and Zoe recounted our journey back into the Labyrinth. Everyone's eyes widened when they heard I saved the one huntress.

They continued and eventually everyone started leaving when they finished. "I will address the battle at dinner tonight" I told Chiron. When he nodded, I got up and headed towards my cabin.

I saw Thalia approaching me and decided to wait to go to my cabin until after this conversation.

I expected a hug, but right as she came over she decked me, sending me to the ground hard. I let out a grunt of pain and clutched my chest. "Please beat me up some other time. I took a spear to the chest not two hours ago" I said in pain.

Her eyes widened, and then she started yelling about me about always trying to be the hero. Eventually I got tired of it, "What do you want me to do?" I said interrupting her angrily. "I have the curse of Achilles, and no one else, except for you does. You were fighting the hydra when Perses came out of the Labyrinth. I wasn't going to risk other campers lives if I could do something about it" I said angrily.

I stomped off not waiting for her response. I got to my cabin and went out on the deck. I sat down on the edge and laid back, letting my legs hang in the water. This immediately brought a little energy back to me.

After a couple minutes' I drifted off to sleep.

 **Line Break**

I woke up a few hours later and realized it was time for dinner.

I headed to the mess hall and saw everyone was already there. I noticed Artemis talking with Chiron and headed over.

She immediately thanked me for saving her huntress, and then told me that my strategy to defeat kampe was very wise. I nodded, not entirely agreeing, but not wanting to argue.

Eventually Thalia came over and apologized, but I just waved her off. I stood up abruptly and walked over to my table. I looked over to the hearth and saw Hestia. She gave me an almost imperceptible nod. I sighed and sent a fireball into the hearth making it flare up.

Everyone's attention was now on me, everyone giving me curious glances.

I got on top of my table, "Campers, you all did your parents proud today. We successfully defended our home, and the fallen will not be forgotten. Their sacrifices will be remembered forever. I am sorry that I could not do more out there for all of you" I said. They all looked at me like I was crazy.

I continued, "I have failed you all, and I am sorry, but this is only the beginning. We will have to continue training and training, but for now enjoy yourselves. You guys have all earned it" I finished.

I got down and exited the mess hall.

 **Line Break (Thalia's POV)**

It had been a week since the battle and I have barely seen Percy. He just hides off in his cabin. I know he blames himself for the deaths of the twenty five campers, but there was nothing he could have done. I know he also feels weak from his fight with Perses.

He rarely eats, and he has spent all of his time in his cabin or at the arena. I decided to go look for him.

I lightning traveled to his cabin and saw him laying down casually on top of the water. His eyes were closed, but I could tell he was awake.

"Hey" I said. He cracked open an eye and gave me a nod.

"So, the hunter's left earlier today. Zoe was looking for you" I said. He didn't respond.

He was making me angry, "Percy, I know you think those deaths were on your hand, but they are not. You couldn't have done anything. You already fought one of the most powerful monsters that was there, and then you even battled a titan" I said angrily.

"You weren't watching Thalia. I got my ass kicked. We've been training our whole lives for this, and even with the curse of Achilles I couldn't hold my own against Perses" he replied angrily. "How can I save the world if I can't battle one lousy titan?" he asked quieter this time.

I looked at him, "you don't have to save the world Percy, we have to" I told him seriously.

He didn't respond. I growled, "Fine. You know what, you sit out here for the rest of the war thinking what if. I'm going to train, and train, and do everything I can to win this war. Think about everything you could've done differently. I'm going to move on and make sure we have a chance to be victorious" I said angrily. I flashed out, and decided to go find Chiron.

 **Line Break (Percy POV)**

After Thalia left I realized she was right. I was going to go find her and make a plan for the remainder of the war.

I wondered what everyone else had been doing for the past week. I shook that thought away knowing I would find out soon enough. All I know is that I will be okay. We will be okay. I know we can get through this. We just have to work hard and push ourselves.

 **(6 Months Later)**

The past six months passed extremely quickly. Thalia turned fourteen, and this just reminded me how close we are getting to the possible end of the war.

The titan army had gone silent, which was slightly worrying, but I decided not to think too much of it. We had been training harder than ever though.

Me and Thalia took over training the campers, and it was safe to say that we worked them extremely hard. Because of this we hadn't been the most popular campers lately. I knew it was for the best though.

The hunters hadn't been around lately either. They had reportedly been trying to track down parts of the titan army with little success. I knew this probably infuriated Artemis, only making them search harder.

I had been summoned to the big house earlier, and just began making my way there now.

When I got there, it was just me and Thalia. I looked at her questioningly, but she just shrugged. Nico walked in a minute later, only making me more curious as to why we were here.

Chiron walked in a minute later and cleared his throat, "yes, um, I suppose I will get right to the point. There are reportedly spies in camp, and I want the three of you to do your best to find them. If you suspect someone, but have no proof, come directly to me, and I will investigate further" he said.

We all nodded and began to leave. "Good luck, and I need you to keep this to yourselves" When we nodded he continued, "Keep up the training too, only too soon is the war coming" he said. We nodded again and left.

 **(6 Month Time Skip)**

I had finally turned fourteen, which was anything but a blessing at this point. The only good thing is that the camp has prospered under the tutelage of Thalia and I. We have really whipped the campers into shape.

I cursed as I realized that I was running late. I disappeared from my cabin in a flash of flames to meet Thalia and Nico for our weekly meeting.

I arrived and they both glared at me. I held up my hands in surrender and looked at them, "anything new?" I asked. They both shook their heads dejectedly.

I sighed, "I might have found one, well two, and believe me, you're not gonna like hearing it" I said making their eyes widen.

 **A.N. This was a shorter chapter, and I know it was sloppily put together, but I am just trying to age them a little bit. Next chapter will investigate the traitors, and there will probably be another big time skip. I think the battle was pretty sloppily put together as well, but it is what it is. If you have any ideas of what I can put in the story leading up to the titan war let me know. Suggestions are welcome. Review to let me know what you thought.**


	12. Chapter 11

_I arrived and they both glared at me. I held up my hands in surrender and looked at them, "anything new?" I asked. They both shook their heads dejectedly._

 _I sighed, "I might have found one, well two, and believe me, you're not gonna like hearing it" I said making their eyes widen._

"I have arranged for a meeting at Zeus' fist with the two of them, but they are only expecting me. You two go to the beach and I will meet you there after" I said.

They both looked like they were going to argue, but decided against it once they saw my glare. Thalia sighed, "do you at least have a plan kelp head?" she asked warily.

I smirked, "I'm going to ask them if they are being controlled by something or someone, or doing this willingly. When I get my answer is when my usual plan will be implemented" I said looking at Thalia with a smile.

She groaned, "you don't mean.." she started, but I cut her off with a nod, "yup, I'm just going to wing it" I said with a laugh.

Nico looked at me disbelievingly, but I just disappeared in a flash of flames and reappeared in the woods near Zeus' fist.

I was honestly not looking forward to this conversation at all. It took about five minutes to reach it and they were already there when I arrived.

I looked from Silena to Beckendorf and was hoping I was wrong. They had recently started dating and that didn't exactly reassure me.

I took a deep breath, "please tell me you're not doing this of your own free will" I said seriously looking them both in the eyes.

They both looked startled, "Perseus, what are you talking about?" Silena stuttered out nervously.

I shook my head, "I am very good at manipulating the mist, and I saw a scythe charm on both of your wrists. You're my friends, so I am letting you explain yourself. Tell me you're being controlled or something" I said desperately, not wanting to have to turn them in.

Beckendorf stepped forward, "I'm sorry Percy, but Luke promised us that people would be saved. You are on the wrong side" he said pulling out a sword.

I sighed and pulled out tidal wave. I flipped it and caught my sword.

"You will have one chance to surrender to me and swear loyalty to Olympus. If you refuse, I can't promise that you will survive the fight to come" I said solemnly.

Beckendorf reached for his pocket and pulled out a mysterious blue orb.

"I really am sorry Percy. You're a good guy. Hopefully we will meet again" he said as he put a hand on Silena's shoulder.

This confused me until the orb started lighting up and they disappeared. Gone from my sight.

I cursed, there was better ways I could have handled that.

I disappeared in a flash and reappeared on the beach.

When Thalia and Nico saw me they rushed over. "Percy what happened? Who was it?" Thalia asked.

I flipped tidal wave back into coin form and put it in my pocket. "It was Silena and Beckendorf. I noticed a scythe charm through the mist on both of their wrists a few days ago. I gave them a chance to surrender and swear loyalty to Olympus, and if they didn't I would have no choice but to fight them. They refused. I was getting ready to charge when Beckendorf pulled out this orb and they disappeared" I finished, shaking my head at my stupidity.

"At least you tried Perce. You could have just turned them in" Nico said shrugging.

I shook him off, "Yeah, and now because of it, they're both still out there. Now they can come back and stab one of us in the back on the battlefield" I said.

We stood like that in a silence for a few moments before Thalia spoke up, "there is nothing we can do now. Let's go tell Chiron about it."

Nico nodded, and they got ready to head back, "you guys go, I will catch up to you in a few minutes" I said taking a seat in the sand.

They just nodded and walked off. I sat there for a couple minutes, many different things going through my mind. Eventually I decided I should join them at the big house and I mist traveled away.

I reappeared inside the big house and noticed Thalia and Nico seated around the ping pong table. They seemed to be in a deep discussion with Chiron and all turned to me when I arrived.

Chiron cleared his throat, "Perseus my boy, if what Thalia and Nico are telling me is true, this is very troubling news" he said worriedly.

I took a seat next to Thalia, "it's true Chiron" I said nodding sadly.

"I'm afraid we are going to have to start being even more careful, and will have to step up the training of the campers even more" I said after a minute.

Chiron nodded, "yes, I am afraid you are correct. We will have to go full war prep mode. Fortunately, this came at a pretty good time. There is still a year and a half until Thalia turns sixteen, and two years until you do. This at least gives us time to prepare even more" he said.

I nodded, agreeing with that logic, "I will discuss a permanent schedule with Thalia later today, and we can explain what happened to the campers later tonight" I said. They all nodded, and Chiron dismissed us.

I disappeared in a flash, intending to get some rest before dinner.

 **Line Break (one year later)**

I awoke in a sweat. I had just had another dream with Kronos that felt almost too real. Our destiny could be sooner than I would hope. In six months Thalia will be sixteen and in a year, I will be.

For the past year we have trained the campers harder than they have ever trained.

Wakeup call is at six am, and they have fifteen minutes to report to the beach. Then we start with a morning run. Thalia or I will lead the run, and the other brings up the rear, making sure everyone keeps up. Depending on who is leading, and how generous we are feeling, is how many laps we will complete around camp.

Then we go to breakfast and they have thirty minutes of free time afterwards. Before lunch, I teach sword fighting to the youngest, and least skilled campers. Thalia works with the middle tier of campers on spear training, and Chiron works on archery with the highest ranked campers in camp, which includes most of the cabin leaders, and a few of the Ares campers.

After that we go to have lunch. Afterwards Annabeth, Thalia and myself work on battle strategy and being smart in battle with everyone. After that they get an hour to rest, and then break back into groups.

I work with the middle tier of campers for sword fighting, and Thalia is with the youngest, working on their spear fighting. During this time, Chiron is once again with the oldest, and most experienced campers. He tries to match them up with someone they are not familiar with, and might have a weakness against. They then spar until it is time for dinner.

After dinner Chiron has an archery class with all the campers, except the campers in the highest tier. Me and Thalia work with them. We try to help them all get adjusted to whatever powers they might have, and controlling them.

After that we have each of them fight either me or Thalia. Obviously, they can't beat us considering we are invulnerable. If anyone gets a strike on us though, we dismiss them and they are free to do what they please the rest of the night.

Lights out is at ten o'clock, and any camper caught out after dark will be punished severely by Thalia or I.

Throughout the year, the campers have become much stronger and smarter, and are beginning to look like great warriors. I was starting to have faith that we could get through this war.

I sighed and got out of bed. I threw on a green tank top and a pair of track pants and exited my cabin. I met up with Thalia and we made our way to the beach, making small talk on the way.

We were the first to arrive and we took a seat in the sand while we waited. After about ten minutes the entire camp was on the beach.

Today Thalia would lead and I would bring up the rear. She began the run, and kept up a pretty good pace. After two laps around I noticed a few campers begin slacking and falling behind. I sighed, they were younger campers, and I hated having to push them so hard. It would only benefit them though.

"Don't fall behind, keep it up guys" I called to them and they sped up a bit. They tightened back up and there was fewer gaps throughout.

Thalia stopped the run after four laps, much to many of the campers' delights.

"Alright, off to breakfast everyone" I called, and they all filed out.

After everyone was gone me and Thalia made our way there. Once we got there we got our food and joined Nico at our big three table.

I got lost in my thoughts once again, but was brought out of it when I heard everyone gasp. I looked over and what I saw shocked me.

It was the oracle, and it was walking towards us, as if it was alive again.

It came all the way over and stopped right in front of me. Green smoke spewed out of its mouth and in a voice that I couldn't recognize, but sounded familiar it said:

A brother and sister of the eldest gods

Will need to find help to even the odds

Revisit the garden to find the help that you seek

What you find out you will not be able to speak

A lost brother from a very young age

And revenge will come from the son of the sea's rage

The oracle then fell to the floor, lifeless once again. Chiron called for two campers to bring it back to the attic and said, "meeting of the cabin counselors in fifteen minutes, when breakfast ends."

I looked over at him and it looked like he had seen a ghost. I cleared my throat and stood up, "training will be delayed until further notice. Feel free to relax, or go off and do your own training" I said.

I then walked out of the mess hall and disappeared in a flash. I reappeared in the big house and waited for everyone else to arrive. I began thinking about the prophecy and what it meant.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, lets discuss this prophecy. Obviously, it calls for children of the big three to go on it" Chiron said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I cleared my throat, "I believe line one refers to me and Thalia. We are brother and sister, and are both children of the big three" I said. I looked around and everyone nodded agreeing.

"The second line is obvious" Thalia said speaking up. "We will need help to even the odds against whatever we will face" she finished.

Annabeth spoke up for the first time, "what about the garden, what is that referring to?" she asked.

"I think it is the garden of the Hesperides. It says to revisit the garden, and we went there on the quest to rescue Thalia and Artemis" I said.

"So, you need to go to the garden of the Hesperides to find help, but help against what?" Nico asked.

I thought about the prophecy, "well, whatever we find we won't be able to speak about" I said confusedly. I noticed Chiron pale at this, but I continued anyway, "and the last line talks about my rage bringing me revenge. I am not sure about this, but I think the threat we are facing is the titan Perses. I couldn't defeat him the first time, and I am looking for revenge by finally defeating him" I finished.

Everyone looked shocked at this. "What about the line: A lost brother from a very young age" Annabeth asked.

I sighed, I was hoping they had forgotten about that one.

I looked over at Thalia and it seemed like we had come to the same conclusion. "I'm not really sure about that one" I said.

Chiron saw that we didn't want to talk anymore about it, "Alright so Thalia and Perseus will leave immediately" he said standing up. I was relieved he wasn't pressing us on this.

"Nico" I called. He looked at me questioningly, "you will need to take over the sword training for me while we're gone" I said. He looked shocked, but knew that they would have to keep up the training while we were gone.

"Clarisse, you will need to take over the spear training for Thalia too. The two of you will lead the morning run, and night sessions as well. Annabeth will teach the battle strategy session alone for the time being" I said. I looked around and everyone looked a bit doubtful. Thalia seemed to notice this as well.

"Hey, we believe in you guys. We can't afford to stop training, especially this close to the war. We can do this" Thalia said, raising the morale in the room.

"Alright it is decided then. Nico and Clarisse will fill in for Perseus and Thalia while they are gone. Council dismissed" he said. One by one everyone left. Most people wished us luck and then it was just the two of us.

I gave her a look saying that we would talk about this later and then flashed out.

 **Line Break**

Once I finished packing everything, I met Thalia by the big house. I saw her with a smirk on her face and twirling keys around her finger. This made me smile remembering when I had stolen the keys for the quest to save her.

"Children of Hermes' aren't the only sneaky ones" she said mischievously, and we walked out of the camp laughing.

Thalia decided to drive and we had been driving in silence for about two hours when she broke the silence, "do you think it could really be him?" she asked quietly.

I thought about it for a minute, "honestly, I don't know thals. It could be, but I guess we will just have to wait and find out" I said.

She nodded and we drifted back into silence.

Eventually I felt my eyes drooping, and decided to take a nap.

 **Line Break**

I was awoken abruptly by Thalia cursing. I noticed we were slowing down too.

I facepalmed, "are we out of gas?" I asked.

She glared at me, "shut up kelp head. I wasn't paying attention, and you snoring wasn't helping any" she snapped at me.

I held my hands up in surrender, "alright, alright, it's okay. Where are we now?" I asked chuckling.

She sighed, and put a hand to her temple, "I'm not sure. Somewhere near Chicago maybe" she said.

"How much energy do you think it would take to teleport all the way there?" I asked.

She looked deep in thought before replying, "well, it looks to be bad weather right now, and if it starts storming I would be able to lightning travel much easier. I might be able to get to California without passing out. If you found a big body of water too, then you might be able to mist travel all the way there without passing out as well."

I nodded, "alright, might as well give it a shot" I said, and we began walking off.

We walked for about an hour until it started raining and thundering. I looked at Thalia and saw her smirking. "I'm going to try it, and I'll IM you when I get there, and if I am alright" she said. I nodded, and a bolt of lightning came down and struck right next to me. When I looked over all that was left of her was a blackened patch on the concrete.

I sighed, and continued my pursuit for a body of water.

I had been walking for another hour when I began to feel like I was getting close to some form of water. I was getting worried about Thalia, but decided I could figure out what happened later.

I walked along the side of the highway and saw a bridge up ahead. I smirked, there must be water down there, I thought.

That's when I noticed the bridge had been blocked off and a huge being was standing on the bridge. It roared and all of a sudden I saw something hurtling towards me. I dove forward just in time for a huge car to crash into the ground where I had once been. I cursed as I laid my eyes on the minotaur.

I got to my feet and flipped tidal wave. I caught it in spear form and began making my way over to it. When I was about twenty yards away it began charging at me and I had to dive to avoid it.

I cursed at the quickness of this monster. A monster this big should not be this quick, I thought. I turned back towards it and noticed it was about to charge again. I pelted it with a ball of Greek fire and while it was startled I was the one who charged. I tried to stab at it, but every one of my strikes was blocked by its ax.

I took a step back and slammed it in the stomach with the blunt end of my spear. It hunched over and I brought my spear upwards in an uppercut like motion. It slammed into its head and it threw the minotaur backwards, onto its back.

All of a sudden I heard, "Percy."

I whipped around and thrusted my spear forwards. My eyes widened when I saw the face of Thalia.

I turned back around right in time to block a strike from the minotaur's ax.

"Not now Thalia, I'm a little busy" I said forcefully. "Give me a second here" I said.

I ducked under a slash from the ax and stabbed upwards. The minitour roared as my spear was stabbed all the way through its stomach.

I looked on in shock as it didn't dissolve. I knew the minotaur was tough, but I didn't know it was this tough. I wrenched my spear out of its body and backflipped backwards, out of the way right as its ax came down.

It made a huge dent in the ground. I lunged forward and quicker than the minotaur thought possible, I thrusted upwards stabbing the it right in the heart. It let out a heart wrenching roar before dissolving.

I panted, and flipped tidal wave, catching it back in coin form. I walked back over towards Thalia and said, "we'll talk when I get there."

I swiped through the iris message before she could respond. I hopped over the edge of the bridge and landed softly on a huge wave. I could've mist traveled from up there, but I will be able to get farther if I am in contact with the water.

I looked around at Chicago one final time and then mist traveled away.

I reappeared and nearly passed out and fell to the ground. I saw the golden gate bridge in the distance and realized I made it to California. I started making my way towards the garden of the Hesperides. I knew I would run into Thalia on the way, or just meet her there.

By now it was getting to be late afternoon, and unless we hurried, we wouldn't be able to make it into the garden until tomorrow.

I started picking up the pace and saw a huge lightning strike up ahead. I grinned realizing it must be Thalia.

I hurried and noticed a huge army of monsters. I saw two kids that I couldn't make out and then I noticed Thalia.

I looked through the army of monsters and saw some demigods in their ranks, as well as mostly just ordinary monsters.

I saw a hydra that Thalia was fighting, but it only had three heads remaining. That must be what the lightning was. I saw a drakon slithering around in the back and knew where I would be starting. This battle should be over quickly, I thought.

I threw a huge ball of Greek fire into the horde of monsters, instantly incinerating a dozen of them.

I stepped forward and pulled out tidal wave. I flipped it and caught it in sword form before charging into the army. I ducked under a club from a cyclops and slashed upwards at a lunging hellhound. I turned back around and quickly stabbed the cyclops in the heart.

I fought my way through the army and finally laid eyes on my target. It was trying to sneak up on a girl that had her back turned and was fighting an empousa. I Threw a fireball at its back and it turned towards me.

I was about to charge when it reared back and let loose a column of flames at me. I didn't have time to get out of the way, but it didn't matter. I was immune to fire. When it finally stopped, it looked at me in confusion, wondering why I wasn't a pile of ashes right now.

I heard a gasp of shock somewhere to my right, but didn't pay attention to it. I smirked and charged at the drakon. It lunged towards me, but I evaded it and dove onto it's back.

All of a sudden it shot into the air. I cursed, apparently this drakon could fly. I stabbed my sword into the drakon to steady myself. It roared and turned around. It shot straight down towards the ground, and I held on for dear life.

Right before we crashed into the ground it pulled up and flew back into the air. I started making my way towards its head, but when I was almost there it bucked its back and I lost my grip on my sword. I barely grabbed onto its back in time before falling off. I saw my sword plummet to the ground and I cursed.

It would eventually return, but it might not be in time. I held on for dear life and surveyed what was happening below. I noticed the hydra was now destroyed and Thalia was off somewhere else. The drakon was now hovering right over the army and blowing streams of fire in every direction.

All of a sudden, the drakon fell to the ground. It crushed dozens of monsters' underneath it. I noticed Thalia's spear was struck right through one of its wings. I found her and saw she was looking at me. She winked and jumped back into the fray, wielding my sword.

I quickly slid down the drakon's back and pulled the spear out of its wing. I rushed back up towards its head and stabbed downwards, impaling it through the head. I saw the tip appear out the other end, and it began to dissolve.

The army of monsters was almost destroyed, so I decided to have a little fun. I stepped forward and launched Thalia's spear. It sped past monster's and struck a hellhound lunging at Thalia from behind. When she noticed what happened her eyes widened. She turned to me and gave me a smile before going back to work.

I pulled on my necklace and my bow appeared in my hand.

I began firing flaming arrow after flaming arrow into the monsters' ranks. It wasn't long before the last monster was destroyed and it was just the four of us.

I found my way to Thalia and she flipped me my sword. I caught it in coin form and put it away. I made sure she was alright when I heard, "halt, identify yourselves."

I turned and saw the blonde-haired boy with a golden sword pointed at us. I was about to say something that I probably shouldn't when I noticed his companion.

I smiled, "Reyna, long time no see" I said, engulfing her in a hug. She returned it full force and Thalia and the boy just looked at us shocked.

"You know her?" Thalia asked me with a glare. I ignored her, and looked over at Reyna. She certainly had grown taller, and was now even more beautiful. I ignored that last thought though.

"So, who is your companion?" I asked gesturing towards the boy. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Oh, that's Jason. Jason Jackson."

 **A.N. Here is the next chapter. I decided to make Jason their full brother. I also decided to just throw in this quest before the final battle starts in a couple chapters. The prophecy is probably not the best, but it was the best I could do off the top of my head. Let me know if you have any ideas too, I'm always open to them.**


	13. Chapter 12

" _So, who is your companion" I asked gesturing towards the boy. She looked over at him and smiled._

" _Oh, that's Jason. Jason Jackson."_

I looked over at Thalia and saw a few tears in her eyes. I stepped towards Jason, "Jason, it's us. I'm Percy and that's Thalia" I said.

He looked shocked before pulling me into a hug. Thalia quickly joined in as well.

"Woah, woah, woah, you guys all know each other too?" Reyna asked confused. I pulled away from them and nodded, "This is our brother. Our mother said he was dead when we were four years old" I said sadly. She nodded, not expecting that.

"So, who is your godly parent?" I asked him.

He looked over at me and smiled, "I'm a son of Jupiter, I assume you guys are as well" he asked.

I looked at Thalia confused. "Jason, do you mean a son of Zeus? I'm a daughter of Zeus, and Percy is a son of Poseidon" Thalia said. I nodded agreeing with her.

Reyna gasped, "are you Greeks?" she asked pulling out a sword. Jason pulled out a coin. This was all too much to process. Reyna said she was a daughter of Bellona, and Jason said he was a son of Jupiter. That's when Athena's lectures came back to me.

"Yes, we are Greek, and you guys are Romans. I know the history that comes when Greeks and Romans meet up, but remember last time Reyna? We were fine together" I said confidently. I then brought out my coin, and Thalia did the same, "I also bet that when you flip that coin it will turn into a sword or a spear right Jace? Me and Thalia have the same one. We are full blooded siblings, there is no way I would ever fight you" I said seriously.

They reluctantly lowered their weapons, "alright, we can catch up and explain more later. For now, we should enter the garden and get passed ladon, so we can set up camp and be fully rested for tomorrow" I said.

They nodded cautiously and followed me up the mountain. Eventually, a huge tree came into view. I saw the golden apples and ladon slithered around the base of the tree sleeping. I heard Jason gasp, probably just now noticing the giant dragon coiled around the tree.

Four figures shimmered into existence and I scowled at them.

"Perseus Jackson you are foolish for returning here, leave now and your life will be spared" they said in unison.

"How about this, we stay here, and I kick your immortal asses just like I did your fathers" I said confidently.

"You barely defeated him with the help of that worthless goddess, nevertheless you don't have her this time" the one in the middle said.

I glared at them and they began shimmering out of existence when they called out, "Ladon wake."

"Shit" Jason said. I chuckled at that.

Reyna took out her sword, and I saw Thalia with her sword out as well. Me and Jason both had our spears out. "Don't attack directly. Try to skirt around it, and only attack if it attacks first" I said. They all nodded, and we began making our way forward.

Jason and Thalia led the way. It was a slow process, but it was working, Ladon wasn't attacking us. Right as I thought I had gotten out of its reach I heard a scream.

I whipped around and noticed that Reyna was surrounded, and fending off a dozen heads. I cursed and sprinted over.

A dozen heads lunged at me, but I swatted them all away with my spear. I saw one lunge at her from behind and my instincts took over. I pushed her to the ground with the blunt end of my spear and the head snapped its jaws around my spear.

I kicked it off and then swatted it back. I pulled Reyna up and pushed her in the direction of Thalia and Jason. After a second we were out of its reach again and panting.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

She looked at me in amazement, "you saved me again Percy" she said pulling me into a hug.

"I told you I would do it a hundred times" I said smiling. Jason looked surprised that she hugged me. We walked a little farther up and set up camp for the night. I found some wood and threw a fireball into it starting a fire.

Jason looked dumbfounded, at this. "You have to tell me everything" he said smiling.

I nodded and me and Thalia told our story.

It took forever, but we finally got through everything. He looked at us both shocked.

"So, you're invulnerable?" he asked skeptically. We both nodded. "Wow" he said in wonder.

Thalia looked over at Reyna, who was sitting rather close to me. Not that I was complaining or anything. "So, you're the famous Reyna? My brother has told me all about you. He never shuts up about you" she said smirking.

I blushed at that, and I saw Reyna did too, "shut up thunder thighs" I said scowling at her. She smirked so I threw a small ball of fire at her. She scowled and patted it out, throwing a glare at me.

"Dude, it is so cool that you can control fire" he said, as I laughed with Thalia.

I nodded, "yeah, Hestia's blessing is amazing" I said. "Tell us about your journey now" I said, changing the subject off of me and Reyna.

She looked at me gratefully and grabbed my hand. We all spent the next couple hours reminiscing together.

Eventually Jason and Thalia drifted into a conversation of I don't even know what, probably some children of Zeus and Jupiter nonsense.

I noticed Reyna look up at me, "I really do owe you my life Percy" she said seriously.

I smiled at her, "no you don't, I like you Reyna" I steeled my nerves. "you're my friend, and you're different than any girl I have ever met" I said seriously squeezing her hand.

She looked directly into my eyes, "I really like you too, but we're from different worlds" she said sadly looking away, and just like that the moment was over.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe not forever though. I swear on the river Styx that someday we will be able to be together" I said as thunder rumbled above us. She looked back over at me surprised, but smiled. She leaned up and our lips met in a kiss.

This one lasted longer than the first, and was amazing. A few seconds later she pulled away and laid her head on my chest. I looked over to see Thalia smirking at me.

I cleared my throat, "yeah, uh Thalia, what happened when you lightning traveled here earlier? Why did it take so long for you to IM?" I asked avoiding her eyes. Reyna looked over to her curiously as well.

"I got here and nearly passed out. I was then attacked by the gorgon sisters. Thank god it wasn't medusa though" She said to my shock.

"Anyway, I ran for a while, until I found the strength to fight. I defeated them easily and then called you. Shortly afterwards, I found the entrance to the garden, and saw an army of monsters. That's when they showed up. Shortly thereafter you showed up" she said yawning. "I'm gonna hit the hay. Big day ahead of us. I suggest you all do the same" she said getting up and going inside her tent.

Jason followed suit, and Reyna was about to follow, but I pulled her back down. She chuckled, "Percy I'm tired" she complained.

"Tell me your story now, I don't know when I will see you next after tomorrow" I said seriously.

She sighed but told me anyway. After Hephaestus' had transported them to California, she told me her sister went her own way to join the Amazons. She found Lupa though, and made her way to camp Jupiter. A demigod camp for Roman demigods. I smiled, happy that she had a home like we did. She told me how she made it into the first cohort and was now the centurion with Jason. I'm not sure when, but it got quiet and we just laid there enjoying each other's company.

 **Line Break**

I was rudely woken up by someone saying, "Oh Percy you dog, what do we have here?" I cracked open an eye and saw a mess of black hair on my chest. The night's events came back to me and I realized we must have fallen asleep at some point.

I glared at Thalia mouthing a phrase to her that would surely get me smacked if my mother had heard me say it. She just laughed, and I felt Reyna stir on my chest. She opened an eye and looked up. She smiled at me, then noticed the position we were in and quickly got up. I followed suit.

She glared at me with a blush on her face. I held up my hands in surrender saying, "nothing happened last night, we just fell asleep after you told me your story."

She nodded and looked relieved. Jason came out then and saw us blushing.

He smirked, "alright, well let's get this over with" he said.

I nodded. I took out tidal wave and flipped it catching it in sword form. Jason followed suit, and Thalia had her spear out. Reyna took out a sword and we made our way up to the titan stronghold.

When we arrived, I threw a fireball at the door, blasting it to pieces. I saw a small army of monsters, and an even smaller army of traitor demigods. Luke, Silena, and Beckendorf among them.

I charged at the demigods and knew my companions had joined the fight as well. I clashed blades with a guy with an eyepatch. I kicked him back and slashed at his head which he blocked. I feinted a strike low, then reared back and punched him in the face. His nose erupted in blood and I slashed him across the chest before he could react. He fell to the floor clutching his chest. I looked around and saw Silena and Beckendorf knocked out, and there was no sign of Luke.

I heard clapping in the corner. I looked over and my blood boiled. I saw Perses standing there arrogantly.

"I didn't know you were this foolish Perseus. Did you learn nothing from our last fight?" he asked arrogantly.

"My powers have doubled since we last met Perses" I said more confidently than I felt.

"Good, I wouldn't want to make a mess of things in front of your siblings, and your little girlfriend" he said with a smirk.

"This is my fight Thalia, go help them" I said to her. Perses chuckled, "I love your arrogance young Perseus. Don't fret though, my brother Krios will be more than happy to take care of your sister" he said as a new being stepped out of the shadows.

I looked back to see Reyna and Jason finishing off the monsters.

I knew there would be backup soon, but that was my least concern at the moment. I said fuck it and charged at Perses.

I ducked under his javelin and slid underneath him, tripping him up in the process. I got to my feet and slashed a small cut in his back. He growled and got to his feet.

He looked at me with hatred, and we went back and forth. Neither of us able to gain the edge over the other.

I saw Jason helping Thalia, and noticed Reyna approaching from behind. I spun around his attempt to stab me and blocked Reyna's strike, much to her and Perses shock.

"This is my fight Reyna, help Thalia and Jason" I growled. She looked like she wanted to argue but nodded when I glared at her.

Perses looked at me with newfound respect, "I respect your courage and honor in battle. Most wouldn't have done that. Unfortunately, you will still have to be killed" he said, smirking at the end.

I just raised an eyebrow, making him scowl. He charged at me and we engaged in battle once more.

We were deadlocked, neither could even make a scratch on each other. I slashed, stabbed, swiped, and nothing. Each one was defended by him. He was getting angry now too, since I was defending all of his strikes as well.

He locked our blades together and punched me in the face sending me flying back. I looked over and saw Krios kick Reyna into the wall, and she crumpled to the floor in a heap. She was moving, but she didn't seem able to get up.

Perses eyes followed mine and he got a sadistic grin on his face. He started towards her, and this sent me over the edge. First, she gets hurt, and now Perses is going after her while she is defenseless.

I got to my feet and launched myself at Perses as I let out a scream. We were both sent to the ground.

We got to our feet and I sent an onslaught of powerful strikes at him that he was struggling to defend. He looked like he couldn't believe the power I was putting behind each strike.

Time seemed to slow down, and I could read his every move. I saw him about to stab at me, so I willed my shield into my arm, and dodged the stab, locking his javelin between my body and my shield.

He looked shocked that I read that move so well. Anger was all I felt at this point. I slashed my sword downwards and his javelin snapped like a toothpick. He didn't get over his shock quick enough, and I bashed him in the face with my shield. Without wasting any time I swiped my sword across his neck. He looked down in shock, and then dissolved into nothing.

I turned to Krios and got ready to charge, but he must have noticed that I destroyed Perses, because he stepped back.

"One day Jason Grace, you won't be so lucky to have Perseus by your side" he growled out, before flashing away.

I almost fell to the floor, just now realizing how exhausted I am. I then remembered Reyna. I sprinted over to her and slid onto my knees next to her. I cradled her head on my lap.

"Rey are you alright?" I asked. She opened an eye and looked like she was about to speak, but couldn't get it out.

"Yo..you saved me again" she stuttered out so quietly I barely heard it. A lone tear came to my eye. "Thalia" I barked. She was at her side in a second and started healing her. Eventually, color returned to her face. Apparently, she had broken a couple ribs and could barely breathe.

I picked her up, and teleported out of the garden. Thalia reappeared with Jason a moment later. "We can rest here for a while, and return to our respective camps when we are all well enough" I said, not leaving it up for discussion.

I stayed by her side the rest of the day. Her hand always in mine, and occasional conjuring water, and healing her the best that I could. She eventual awoke and we talked about random things we wanted to do. All too soon Thalia and Jason came over. They had just woken up and told us it was time for us to go home.

I walked over to Jason and pulled him into a hug, "you take care now brother, don't get into too much trouble. Watch out for Krios too" I said to him.

He nodded, "hey you take care too. Unfortunately, I feel like even if I tell you to stay out of trouble you won't. Thalia said you tend to go out looking for it" he said smirking. I just shrugged smiling. "And don't worry, I'll look out for her too. Make sure she stays out of trouble too" he said seriously. I just gave him a grateful smile. With one last pat on the back I walked over to Reyna.

She had a makeshift crutch and she smiled when I walked over. She pulled me into a hug and I whispered to her, "don't forget what I said. I was serious too" I said. She looked at me and I knew she believed me.

She pulled me into a kiss and I heard Jason wolf whistle. We pulled apart and I rolled my eyes at Jason.

"Take care of him, if he's my brother he will surely find himself into trouble more times than he could count. He needs friends to watch his back" I said remembering all the times my friends have saved me.

Jason glared at me and they walked over. "We can't tell anyone about the whole Greek and Roman thing" I said sadly. They just nodded, and I waved one last time as they disappeared from our view.

I grabbed my necklace and prayed to Artemis. A few seconds later she appeared. "Any chance you can teleport us to camp, I really don't have the energy at all right now?" I asked hopefully.

She smirked, "sure weak boy, I will teleport you, while Thalia does it herself" she said making me scowl. Thalia laughed at that and Artemis put a hand on each of our shoulders and teleported us away.

We didn't reappear at camp though. We reappeared in the throne room where there was currently a council meeting happening.

We made our way over to Hestia's throne, bringing a smile to her face. Zeus finished what he was talking about and told us to recount what happened on our quest.

Everyone looked at me shocked when they were told that I defeated a titan, and Perses no less. My father looked so proud of me.

"I'm sorry we had to take your brother from you all those years ago" Zeus said to us sadly.

"We understand why it had to be done uncle. We also Know we can't tell anyone of the Roman's existence, at least not yet" I said, adding that at the end.

"You got along fine with them then?" he asked.

I was about to reply when Thalia beat me to it, "Percy has a Roman girlfriend" she said cheekily.

"No I don't" I defended.

"Yes he does"

"No I don't"

"ENOUGH" Zeus roared.

We both looked sheepish.

"I can settle this, he so does" I heard Hestia say above me. I glared at her and most of the council laughed at the exchange that just happened.

Zeus even cracked a smile at this, "at any rate, you guys have done a fine job and I am sure you are ready to get back to camp half-blood and continue training the demigods" he said smiling after the room quieted down.

I looked over at Thalia and knew her look mirrored my own, "how has the camp been doing under Clarisse and Nico?" I asked turning to Zeus.

He smirked, "Well it has only been a day and a half, but they seemed to push the campers harder than you have in that short time" he said.

I looked at him shocked, we worked them pretty hard. Then I thought about Clarisse and how brutal she can be sometimes and realized that it wasn't so hard to believe.

"Is that all?" Thalia asked. Zeus nodded but held up a hand, "Thalia you may leave, but I would like to speak to Perseus for a moment" he said and the majority of the gods flashed out. I got smiles from my father, Artemis, and Hestia before they all flashed out.

"I'll meet you after I'm done with your father" I said to Thalia. She nodded and disappeared in a strike of lightning.

Zeus shrunk down so we were around the same size and walked over to me. "Perseus, I would never tell my daughter this, but your power outrivals hers greatly. I am asking you either before training starts or after it is finished, if you can train her a bit in combat. I know she is a capable warrior, but she isn't at your level" he said making me look at him in shock.

I nodded slowly, "Alright uncle, I will train her to the best of my abilities in sword fighting, but I am afraid she is better or at least equal to me with a spear. I will do my best though" I said respectfully, bowing my head.

He nodded, "Thank you Perseus. Be prepared, within the next year we will be in full war mode I am afraid" he said solemnly. "Last thing, keep Hades spawn close, he will be a valuable asset to you in the future" he said before flashing out.

I just nodded already assuming as much, and disappeared in a flash of flames.

I reappeared inside the Zeus cabin to see Thalia sound asleep and snoring. I chuckled to myself and threw a small fireball at her. She shrieked and patted herself out looking around wildly.

When she saw it was me she glared at me and I saw a dark look in her eyes. I gulped and a bolt of lightning struck me in the chest sending me flying into the wall of the cabin.

I got up and dusted myself off. "Are you done?" I asked. She nodded happily with a smile plastered on her face.

I told her of what Zeus told me, and she didn't look happy about it at first, but she eventually agreed it would be for the best. Once that was over I flashed to my room and fell asleep, the only thing on my mind a certain dark haired demigoddess.

 **Line Break (6 Months Later)**

I woke up and decided to get ready for training. We had been going even harder on them lately. We now started at five a.m. and we now did double the amount of laps for our morning jog. Everyone had moved up and out of the beginners' class. The elite class mainly stayed the same, and now the intermediate class was broken in two, one taught by myself and Thalia, and one taught by Chiron.

Since our mornings were now open, we had the Hephaestus cabin build a huge gym, as an added part of the arena, and the mornings are designated for working out. The rest of the day stayed the same mostly and we just pushed them harder.

After everyone went to bed, I trained Thalia from ten to eleven, and she had greatly improved too. She was almost to my level now, and Nico wasn't far behind. Us three were clearly the leaders of camp, and everyone looked up to us.

I realized that today was Thalia's sixteenth birthday, so the war could start at any time now. Weirdly there has been no more attacks on camp or anything. I just figured they were building their army and waiting to strike at the right moment.

In six months I would be sixteen and in nine Nico would be. It appeared we will be in full-fledged war within the year.

I heard a knock on my door and quickly threw a shirt on before opening it. I saw Thalia and she quickly explained that Chiron wanted to see us and Nico in fifteen minutes before training started. I nodded and continued getting ready.

By the time I arrived Thalia, and an irritated looking Nico were already there.

"Nice of you to show up" Nico barked at me. I just gave him a large smile and he scowled at me.

"I have called you all here because I have grave news, Typhon is rising and he will be free very soon. Perseus, I believe when you blew up Mt. St. Helens it helped awaken him and now he is dangerously close to being free" he said seriously.

I looked guilty and Nico spoke up, "What does this have to do with anything?" he asked.

Chiron sighed, "Typhon is very powerful, it will take nearly all the gods to subdue him, and that is without Poseidon, as he already has his hands full with the relentless attacks of Oceanus' and his forces. If he gets to Olympus all will be lost so we have to hope they can defeat him. The point to this though is that I am afraid you will not have help from the gods in defending Olympus, it will just be the demigods' and hunters" he said.

I thought about asking about the Romans but thought better of it. I just nodded solemnly.

"Does anyone know of your achilles curse?" Nico asked me and Thalia. I looked at her and we both shrugged.

"We have tried to be careful with it, but it is possible they could know about it, why?" I asked.

He smirked and took out a knife, "because if they do, then I could be a wild card in this whole thing" he said bringing the knife down on his arm. Instead of embedding into his arm the knife blade snapped and cluttered to the ground. I looked at him shocked, wondering when he took a bathe in the styx.

I smirked and got an idea. I would share it with them later and decided Nico needed to start training with us after hours.

After Chiron dismissed us we set out to begin training for the day.

After a few hours and everyone was drenched in sweat we dismissed them for lunch.

I sat down with Thalia and Nico and heard a hunting horn. I grinned at Thalia and saw Artemis and the hunters appear.

Most of the hunters went and sat at the Artemis table, while Zoe and Phoebe walked over to us. Artemis joined us after she exchanged a few words with Chiron.

She hugged both Thalia and I, and I gave Zoe a quick hug. "Hello Thalia, Perseus, Nico" she said giving him an indifferent look.

We nodded to her and she continued, "we will be staying at camp half-blood for the remainder of the war and the defense of Mt. Olympus. My girls will be under your command when the final battle happens, and I have a few requests" she said.

I looked at Thalia and we turned back to her gesturing for her to go on, "Anyway, they will listen to the two of you because they have respect for you. I just want to make sure that they are treated fairly here and stay out of trouble" she said looking over at Phoebe.

She looked like she wanted to respond but Thalia cut her off, "don't worry Arty, we'll make sure they are respected" Thalia said and I nodded agreeing.

"That's not all though, I want them to be included in your training as well. They will follow your commands. I want you guys to help train them in combat and help them improve, and in return they can help Chiron teach archery" she said looking at us.

"Yeah, I think that's a great idea. Not only will it help them become more versatile, but us as well. Their skills with a bow are sure to help us immensely" I said bringing a smile to her face.

"Thank you guys, they will be a valuable asset to you, I promise" she said before flashing out.

Phoebe got up and went to join her sisters but Zoe stayed around a little longer.

"Zoe how would you like to do a little extra sword training at the end of the day. I am already training Thalia and Nico to get better with a sword and it would be immensely helpful for yourself and the hunters if you joined us" I asked garnering a scowl from Thalia and Nico.

She was deep in thought for a moment, but eventually nodded. I smiled at her and she went to join her sisters. I realized that the next half a year would be extremely grueling and had only one thought in my mind:

Which one of us is going to be the child of the prophecy.

 **A.N. Well here's the next chapter. I know it has been awhile but I have been very busy, and I'm trying to figure out a few things for the story. It might be a little while before I update again because of school work, but once summer comes they will be quicker. I have slowed down because I don't want to make it too much like the books, and I still want to make it interesting. Next chapter will be a slight time skip, and the final chapter before the war begins. I'm going to put up a poll about a possible sequel when this story ends so go and vote on that. Let me know your thoughts on the chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

**(6 months Later- Percy and Thalia are 16, Nico is 15)**

I had just finished up training Thalia, Nico, and Zoe, and I was gassed. They had all managed to defeat me one after another, sword on spear. Granted it was my weaker weapon, but it was still a big accomplishment. Truthfully, I think they are ready, and I no longer need to train them separately.

The campers are in the best shape of their lives as well and we will continue to train them every day. A few months ago, I had decided to give each camper a day off during the week. The intermediate campers got Saturday's off and the elite campers got Sunday's off.

There are roughly fifteen hunters and most of them are in the intermediate class, but four of them: Zoe, Phoebe, Atalanta, and Victoria are in the elite class.

Surprisingly there has only been one or two little skirmishes between the hunters and the campers, but they were both easily taken care of. The hunters answer to no one except myself, Thalia, Chiron, and surprisingly on occasion Nico. Obviously, they listen to Zoe and Phoebe as well though.

I took a quick shower and got ready for bed. Today was my sixteenth birthday and there was still no news from the titan army. Two of us have now reached sixteen against all odds, and only Nico remained. I was beginning to think that maybe all of us will turn sixteen and then have a huge advantage, but I wasn't naïve enough to think we would be that lucky.

Shaking my head of those thoughts I decided to get some sleep.

When I awoke, I decided that we would take the day off and I had a little surprise for everyone.

I headed to the big house and quickly found Chiron inside.

"Perseus my boy I was just about to call for you, I have a mission that I need you and a small group to go on" he said.

I looked at him shocked, but quickly regained my composure, "what is it and when do we leave?" I asked.

"You will leave tomorrow, and the gods have discovered a bunker that contains a great amount of celestial bronze weapons and armor that could greatly aid us in the war. The gods are restricted to retrieve them so you must. I am asking that Thalia stay here so we have one leader here, other than that your companions are yours to decide. And Perseus, be careful, we don't know if the titan army knows about it or not, so you must be prepared for a battle just in case. The bunker is nearby in New Jersey" he said trying to garner my reaction.

I was deep in thought for a minute before I slowly nodded, "I don't like the idea of splitting up with Thalia, but I will if I must" I said to him.

He nodded and I continued, "now the reason I came down here, I am going to give everyone the day off and we will hold a capture the flag game tonight, only it will be different since we beat the hunters the last time. Me and Thalia will be captains and choose cabins, and after they are chosen we will pick hunters so the teams are well balanced and it is fair."

He smiled and nodded, "that is a good idea Perseus, I am not sure how thrilled the hunters will be, but it should be interesting" he said with a mysterious glint in his eyes.

I nodded and left. I decided to go to the beach to think about who I would ask to come along with me on this mission before I let everyone know that there would be no training today.

 **Line Break**

I had decided to bring 10 people. Three hunters, and two from the Apollo cabin. They would be good from a distance, and we would have healers. I then decided on Nico, and Annabeth naturally, as they were some of the best fighters. Myself makes eight, and I needed two more. I decided to leave Clarisse out since I wanted her here to help Thalia run the camp.

It should only be a few days, but it would still be helpful to her. I then decided on Connor and Travis Stoll, the sons of Hermes. It was a good mix I thought.

All of a sudden I heard someone clear their throat and saw Thalia behind me with the campers and hunters ready for training to start.

I hadn't realized I had been thinking for that long. Apparently I had lost track of time.

"Yes, um, no training today, you all have been doing great. Take a day off and relax. Attendance at lunch is mandatory though" I called out, and everyone looked relieved that there was no training.

Thalia walked over giving me a questioning look, but I just told her I would explain later.

"Annabeth, Nico, Connor and Travis Stoll, Lee Fletcher, Michael Yew, Zoe, Victoria, and Atalanta please stay here for a moment, everyone else is free to go" I said as everyone took off except the people that I named.

Once it was just the ten of us and Thalia I explained what was going on, "alright guys, Chiron has a mission for me. I have to go collect celestial bronze weapons and armor and I need a small group to accompany me. That is where you guys come in" I said looking around at everyone. When no one spoke up I continued,

"Thalia will have to stay here to run the camp" I said, and she looked about ready to argue but I cut her off, "I don't like it either, but those are Chiron's orders" I said to her sympathetically.

"The rest of you have a choice, accompany me tomorrow, or stay here. I won't think less of you if you do. I picked each one of you for a reason though" I said and I saw them all exchange glances.

"Annabeth will be able to create us a flawless plan and she is skilled in battle. Nico is a great fighter and can use the shadows to our advantage. Zoe, Victoria, and Atalanta are very experienced and can fight in close combat or from a distance. Lee and Michael provide excellent aerial coverage and are great healers. Finally, the Stolls are decent fighters, and are very quick and sneaky. They will be able to scout the bunker with Nico before we go in" I said out of breath looking around at everyone.

"Wow, I'm surprised Percy. It's a small group, but that's a surprisingly good plan" Annabeth said with a smile.

I returned it, "We will have to be prepared for a possible battle as well as there could be part of the monster army there, and maybe even a titan" I said seeing some people become nervous.

I smiled, "nobody said this would be easy my friends, we are battling for the fate of the world, and the brunt of the war hasn't even begun yet. So, who's in?" I asked looking around hopefully.

Nobody responded at first and I got nervous, but eventually Zoe said she was in, and slowly everyone else nodded their agreement.

"Good, we leave first thing tomorrow. Be prepared, pack light, but not too lightly. Zoe see if you can get your hands on a few enchanted backpacks so it will be easier for us to carry the weapons and armor back. I will see you all at lunch" I said. Zoe nodded and followed everyone out of the clearing.

I turned to Thalia, "I'm sorry you can't come. Chiron was adamant in that you were needed here. I left Clarisse out so she can help you here, and I left Phoebe out so the hunters have one of their leaders. I will call if we need backup though" I said somewhat sadly.

She nodded, "It's okay, I will be fine here, just make sure you come back in one piece" she said seriously.

I nodded and she flashed away. I decided to go for a quick swim before lunch.

 **Line Break**

After I exited the lake I headed to the mess hall. I noticed most people were already there. I took a seat by Thalia and Nico and started eating. After a few minutes I noticed everyone was here, and I looked at Nico, "watch this" I said with a smirk as I threw a huge fireball into the fire pit causing a small explosion and a huge flame to waft into the air.

I walked to the head table and stood up on top of it. "Campers, tomorrow me and a select few campers and hunters will set out on a mission, the details are not important, but just know that Clarisse will be aiding Thalia with training for a few days" I said and whispers broke out among the campers.

I tried getting them to quiet down, but to no avail. I looked to Chiron and he shrugged giving me a wink. I smiled and threw a huge ball of fire into the old table Thalia used to sit at making it explode, effectively garnering everyone's attention.

"SILENCE" I roared making everyone gulp and quiet down. "Sorry for that Thalia" I added with a smirk. She just waved me off.

"Anyway" I continued, "after lunch we will be having a capture the flag game, which is why training was cancelled" I said and everyone cheered.

Once it quieted down I continued, "this won't be any ordinary game though. You have all trained and progressed immensely, and while the hunters are amazing warriors, they are just vastly outnumbered" I said. No one seemed to know where I was going with this so I continued,

"Because of this, Thalia and myself are going to be captains. We will each pick until the cabins are all on a team, and then we will pick hunters. This way it will be an evenly matched game" I said as everyone looked around shocked.

Some of the hunters began shouting arguments, but I raised my hand, and they immediately quieted down. I would have to compliment Artemis on their obedience later.

I smirked, "what's wrong hunters, we are all on the same team in this war. It'll do us all some good to start working together now, and seeing who best fights with who" I said. Nobody had an argument for that, seeing the wisdom to my words.

"Good, meet by Zeus' fist in one hour" I said hopping down and rejoining Thalia and Nico.

An hour later everyone was gathered around Zeus' fist. I looked at Thalia, "heads or tails?" I asked smiling.

She looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "tails." I pulled out my coin and flipped it, catching tidal wave in sword form. I smirked, "heads it is" I said.

She scowled. "I'll take Hades cabin" I said as Nico joined my side.

She smiled, "I'll take the west woods, with Zeus' fist, and I'll take the Athena cabin" she said smirking.

When the cabins were all picked, I had Hades, Ares, Demeter, Apollo, and Dionysus cabins. Thalia had Athena, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Hephaestus cabins.

The hunters would be picked in a snake order, Thalia picks one, I pick two, then she picks two, and so on.

She chose Zoe, unsurprisingly, and I was torn. Phoebe was the best available, but Atalanta and Victoria were a deadly duo. That would also put Zoe and Phoebe together though, which also wasn't wise.

"Alright I choose Atalanta and Victoria" I said, much to the shock of everyone. I gave them both high fives and we smirked. I had grown pretty close with the both of them. Thalia chose Phoebe and Diana. She was a good fighter, and would probably be moved up to the elite class soon.

Once everyone was chosen Chiron gave the usual spiel; no killing, keep maiming to a minimum. He would be the battlefield medic and we each had fifteen minutes to devise a strategy and get ready.

I vapor traveled up to a tree and placed the flag in the crook of a branch. It was hidden but still visible, so it was a good spot.

I jumped down and gathered everyone around me.

"Alright, we are going to go for a simple strategy. Nico and Clarisse, I want you making a wide berth around towards the flag on the right side. Atalanta and Victoria you guys on the left. I want you four getting to the flag with minimal contact, can you do that?" I asked.

They all nodded and continued, "Once you get there it should just be you and Thalia if I'm right. The rest of the hunters, and Apollo campers' you guys provide aerial support. Find a good tree to perch in and stay hidden." They all nodded.

I smiled, "Alright, Ares cabin, you guys will be the brunt of our army. You guys will be the group going in straight on. Your job is to contain. Let no one through and be vicious. You guys are our main defense. Demeter and Dionysus cabins will join you in the middle, but you will lead" I said to which everyone nodded.

"Demeter cabin use the plants and trees to your advantage" I said. They all smirked and nodded.

"I'll guard the flag" I said smirking evilly.

 **Line Break**

I sat perched in a tree right across from the tree with the flag. I heard footsteps and grinned. All of a sudden three girls sprinted into the clearing. I smirked when I saw Zoe, Annabeth, and Phoebe.

They didn't see me so I shot a huge column of flames at them.

They saw it too late and gasped. Of course, I wasn't aiming for them it just created a huge wall of fire between Zoe, and Annabeth and Phoebe. They cursed and I sent a column of flame at the tree with the flag.

It hit the ground and circled around the tree, effectively blocking the girls from the tree. I jumped down and landed on a knee.

I looked up and grinned, "hey Zoe" I said with a smirk.

She took her hairpin and it elongated into a beautiful sword. Anaklusmos I mouthed. I nodded at her and charged. I sent an overhead strike at her hoping to overpower her, but she just ducked and rolled out of the way.

She slashed at me quickly before I could turn around and her blade bounced off my skin. She cursed and scowled at me. I smirked and said, "Sorry Zo."

I charged at her and we went back and forth for a couple minutes. I stayed on the offensive, but she was managing to block everything that I threw at her. She might have beaten me when I had a spear, but she was no match for me with a sword, no one was. I slashed a shallow cut on her arm and she shot me a glare.

She kicked me back and started to charge at me. I smirked, I would get her here. I started running and slid right at her, trying to trip her. She jumped over me as expected, and I reached a hand up grabbing her ankle. Her eyes widened and she crashed to the ground hard.

I wasted no time before lunging towards her and putting my sword point to her back. "Yield?" I asked. She reluctantly nodded and I got off of her. I helped her up then cursed and realized Annabeth and Phoebe were still there.

I turned and noticed the fire was put out and Phoebe was climbing the tree while Annabeth was nowhere to be seen.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I whirled around and brought up my blade and heard a clang. Just in time too, I thought. I pulled away and backflipped, extending my foot and kicking open air. I landed and looked forward as Annabeth shimmered into existence. Her invisible hat that I kicked off sitting a few feet away.

She charged at me and I barrel rolled to the side of her and grabbed the knife from her leg holster as I rolled by. I whirled around and chucked the knife towards the tree.

It embedded in the tree right above Phoebe's hand and she yelped. My smile turned into a frown as I saw her use it to her advantage and get up to the branch with the flag quicker.

I ducked a sword aimed at my throat and I cursed myself for forgetting about Annabeth. We exchanged a few blows and Phoebe dashed away with the flag.

I cursed and threw a fireball at Annabeth before turning and running after Phoebe. I knew I wouldn't catch up to her in time so I stopped and threw a fireball at her. It sailed past her and created a wall of fire in front of the stream, which was the boundary line.

She never broke stride as she dove through the flames and into the stream. I cursed as I heard a whistle signaling the game was over. A second later I saw Nico sprint across the stream with their flag.

Nico walked over to me, "Come on Perce, what happened? Couldn't defend the flag from a few girls?" He asked teasingly.

I scowled at him, "You had four people going for their flag while they had three, what's your excuse?" I asked threateningly. He wisely kept his mouth shut, but my sister didn't.

"Haha, it's because I used my brain kelp head" Thalia said. "I knew you would only send a few, so I did the same. I knew you would be too stubborn to let anyone else cover the flag though, so I had the hunters minus Zoe, and Phoebe, staked out in the woods by the flag, providing cover. After that it was easy" she said smirking.

I scowled, "Thalia's team is victorious, you all have the rest of the day to do whatever you please" Chiron said before galloping off to who knows where.

Everyone filed out, exhausted after the long game. I decided to go get showered up and pack my bag before dinner, so I could get to bed early. I just hoped this mission went smoothly.

When I got back to my cabin I saw something on my bed. There was a note from Hestia, it read: Perseus, this is an attachment for your belt. There are three hunting knives and five small throwing knives. I know they will be of use to you in the future. Thalia also received these from me.

I looked at them in shock, they were beautiful. The hilt of each knife had a tiny flame emblem on it and I mentally thanked Hestia.

I was accumulating quite the arsenal of weapons, I now had my sword, spear, shield, bow, and these knives. I knew I was fortunate to have a patron like Hestia.

 **Line Break**

I arrived at the big house to see the three hunters and Annabeth already there. Shortly after Nico arrived and then everyone else filed in. Connor arrived last with a smirk and tossed me the keys.

"Zoe did you find a few enchanted backpacks?" I asked. She nodded and I was relieved. That would be one less thing we would have to worry about. Hopefully this would go down without a hitch

We started to walk towards the van and I turned around with a smirk and looked at everyone, "So" I said mischievously, "who's driving?"

"I'll drive Perseus" Zoe said. I smiled, "It's Percy. PER-CY" I said with emphasis. She just shrugged.

"Well, since you don't know the difference between Perseus and Percy, I don't think I can trust you behind the wheel of a car" I said jogging ahead a little bit to get out of her reach.

The Stolls burst into laughter, "Percy, you kill me, you really do. Let me drive" Travis said. I cringed, "hell no" I said laughing. "I want to get there in one piece" I said.

I looked around, Nico wouldn't do, and Annabeth's ego would inflate if I chose her. I was about to take over and do the driving myself, but shrugged and tossed the keys to Atalanta. Zoe looked at me with an offended look and I just stuck my tongue out at her as I high fived Atalanta.

We all filed in, the Stolls, and Lee and Michael were all in the way back. Annabeth, Nico, and I were in the middle, and Atalanta, Victoria, and Zoe were in front.

The ride was quiet for the most part, everyone making small talk here or there.

About an hour in Connor asked innocently, "Atty, are we almost there?" The people in the back erupted in laughter, and I saw Atalanta's eyes look back in the rearview mirror, and she looked like she wanted to castrate him.

"Never call me that again, boy" she spat. He was about to retort, but I turned around and glared at him. He wisely kept his mouth shut.

I turned to Atalanta, "ignore him, he's just messing around" I said with a smile.

She glanced back at me, "you're lucky I like you Jackson" she said with a smirk.

"Damn straight" I said laughing. We drifted back into silence for a while after that little exchange.

Eventually my eyes became heavy, and I closed them, drifting off to sleep.

It felt like only a few moments before I was awoken abruptly by someone cursing. I looked around and saw Zoe cursing and the van slowing down.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, I think we have a flat tire" Atalanta said, clearly pissed off.

"Nice job, you should've let me drive" Zoe barked at her.

"That would've changed nothing" Atalanta retorted angrily.

"It would have because I wouldn't have gotten a flat tire" Zoe screamed. Atalanta was about to respond, but I cut them both off.

"ENOUGH" I yelled. "Who cares what would have happened if you were driving Zoe, because you weren't, alright. So, who cares. Atalanta, it doesn't matter if it's your fault or not. Both of you be quiet. We'll have to make the rest of the journey on foot. I think we're pretty close" I said, garnering a glare from both girls.

Before the car had fully slowed down, I kicked the door open and dove out into a roll and stood up looking around.

Once the car came to a stop, everyone else filed out. I looked around at the surroundings. We were on the side of a highway, and if I was right it was just a mile or two through the woods to the bunker.

I turned to everyone, "alright, Nico and the Stoll's will scout ahead from here, and tell us what they see" I said forcefully, leaving no room for debate.

The Stolls scurried off, and Nico followed behind, slower, and sticking to the shadows.

After a few minutes Nico returned, "about a couple hundred yards up. Percy, you're going to want to see this" he said scowling.

I looked at him questioningly, but he didn't give anything away.

I began walking forward, and everyone followed behind. I saw a figure walking towards us in the distance, and Nico joined me at the front. I held up a hand, showing I wanted them to stop. I then walked forward with Nico at my side, and after a few moments Zoe joined us as well.

When we started getting closer I saw the figure was Beckendorf and he was holding a white flag of truce.

I scowled, "you better have a good reason for being here, otherwise your days as a breathing man are numbered" I growled out.

He gulped, "Percy, I'm here under a flag of truce, please just relax and hear me out" he said quickly.

I growled, "that's Perseus to you. Come on let's hear it then, we don't have all day" I growled out. I had little patience for this, and it was already getting to be late afternoon. I wanted to get this done before it got dark.

He sighed, "I want to make amends for my mistakes. I wasn't actually a traitor. Silena said that we could be together, and Kronos would give us everything we wanted. Just a peaceful life. She said if I joined her and Luke it would save lives. Lives of demigods. She lied though. She's just power hungry and she used me" he said looking at us hopefully.

"Don't trust him Perseus, it is a trick" Zoe said quickly. I held up a hand stopping her, and gestured for him to go on.

"I volunteered for this mission so I could get away. We are supposed to ambush you when you get to the bunker. There is an army of monsters, and a titan, Koios I believe is his name" he said seriously.

The titan of the north, and a powerful one at that. I cursed silently and looked up at him, "how do we know this is the truth and you're not still with them and trying to trick us?" I asked.

"I swear on the river styx that everything I told you is the truth. There is an army of monsters, and a titan waiting, and I wasn't originally a traitor. That I just want to make amends and I swear loyalty to Olympus" he said as thunder rumbled overhead.

I waited a few seconds just to be sure, but then grinned and extended my hand towards him. He shook it with a smile. I squeezed his hand hard and pulled him in close. I leaned down and whispered in his ear, "if you betray us again, there will be nowhere that you will be able to hide from my wrath" I said menacingly, making him shiver.

He nodded. I stepped back and smiled again, "good to have you back Beck" I said throwing an arm around his shoulder and walking back over to our group.

"You will be able to prove your loyalty in the coming battle" I said seriously, to which he nodded. I was about to explain the situation to everyone, but all of a sudden the Stolls ran through the tree line and crashed into us. They fell to the floor panting heavily.

They quickly got back to their feet. "bunker" *pant* "monsters" *wheeze* "surrounded" *pant* "titan" Connor and Travis got out in between breaths. I sighed.

"What?" I asked.

They composed themselves for a second before continuing, "we scouted ahead and saw an army of monsters surrounding the bunker, about a hundred strong maybe two. There is also a titan, but I'm not sure which one" Travis panted out. "Is that" *pant* "Beckendorf?" he asked with a confused expression on his face, finally recognizing the burly African American boy.

"Yes, it is, and I will explain later. That titan is Koios though" I said, and he nodded.

I gestured for everyone to gather around me in a circle. "Alright here's the plan, I got a couple jars of Greek fire in my pack that the Stolls can use. I want Beckendorf to be a wildcard. They don't know he is with us now, so we will use that to our advantage" I said looking around.

They nodded so I continued, "I want Lee and Michael in the trees covering us, and I want you three up in the trees too" I said pointing at the hunters. They looked like they were going to argue but I cut them off, "at least at first I want you to be up there. You are excellent fighters so let's use that to our advantage. If it starts going bad, or when Koios decides to show his face you three can join in" I said to which they reluctantly nodded.

"Me, Nico, and Annabeth are going to be going after the brunt of the monsters, as well as connor and Travis when they finish with their bombs. Of course, I'll light up a couple dozen monsters as well and Beckendorf will join the fight at some point. I'll leave it up to him when he wants to join in" I said, once again everyone nodded.

"When Koios shows his face, I will take him one on one. If I start getting overwhelmed Nico will come and we will fight him together. If the three of you" I said pointing to the hunters, "are still in the trees and you see Nico come aid me, that is when you will come down and help Annabeth with the monsters" I finished.

"Sound good?" I asked looking at Annabeth. She was deep in thought for a moment, "ummmm yeeaahh" she said slowly. "Actually, yeah that is pretty good. I like the plan we have with the hunters. Gives us a little element of surprise. The only thing I want to change is that I think that Beckendorf should join the fight when you go to fight Koios" she said.

We all nodded, "everyone ready?" I asked. I received ten nods and led the way through the woods until we were a couple hundred yards away. I saw the monster army and got an idea. I grabbed a huge boulder and lathered it in tree sap.

It was extremely heavy, "hey Beck, chuck this as far as you can. Try to get it to land in the middle of the army" I said to which he nodded. He picked it up, got a running start and heaved it forward. I marveled at his strength, but shook my head of that thought.

I threw a huge fireball of Greek fire at the rock and the sap acted as a conductor as it was engulfed in flames and landed in the middle of the army setting dozens of monsters on fire. I flipped my coin and caught my spear before shooting a column of flames at the front lines incinerating a dozen of them.

I saw jars of Greek fire fly over my head and explode, setting monsters ablaze left and right. I sprinted forward and charged into the monster lines, ducking diving and stabbing my way through the monsters. Nico was at my side and soon we were in the middle of the army, back to back taking them down in packs.

I noticed arrows picking off monsters here and there. I noticed Annabeth carving a path through the monsters, much slower than Nico and I. The Stolls were farther back behind her, struggling to defend themselves against so many enemies.

I turned and saw a huge being that was roughly twenty feet tall, and had white and blue hair. "Koios" I growled. He wasn't looking at me though.

I heard some explosions and figured Beckendorf had just joined the fight. I followed the titan of the north's eyes and saw them locked on Lee Fletcher. I looked on in shock as he threw his spear and it soared through the air with deadly speed and accuracy.

I did the only thing I could think of; I threw my own spear and prayed. It soared and clipped the back of his spear sending both of them to the ground.

I breathed a sigh of relief and summoned my shield. I turned and bashed a hellhound that was jumping at me, teeth barred.

"Nico, watch my back" I yelled as I turned back around and cursed as I was weaponless for the moment. I looked over at Koios again. He had a sword in his hand and another spear.

He grinned and took a step forward and let it fly. It was like slow motion and I screamed, "LEE watch out!" It was too late though and the spear embedded hard into the tree.

The spear was embedded into the tree, right through Lee Fletchers heart, his head slumped. Immediately dead.

 **A.N. This will be my last update until summer as I have finals and shit to do. Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Next chapter will finish up this mission and the titan war will start. Remember to go on my profile and vote in the Poll.**


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